President Obama on Tuesday detailed a $3.9 trillion budget proposal for 2015.  Sen. Bernie Sanders, a member of the Senate Budget Committee, said the president’s proposals would provide major investments in rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, expanding community health centers and improving the lives and educational opportunities of our children.  It includes smart investments in pre-school education and job training. It calls for expanded tax credits for 13.5 million low-income workers. “At a time when the wealthiest Americans are doing phenomenally well, it asks some of the richest people in the country to start paying their fair share of taxes,” Sanders said. “And at a time when the country is still struggling to recover from a terrible recession, the president’s initiatives would benefit Vermonters and all Americans by improving the economy and creating of millions of decent-paying jobs.”

As the founder of the Defending Social Security Caucus, Sanders also welcomed the president’s decision not to renew a proposal to cut Social Security benefits. “With the middle class struggling and more people living in poverty than ever before, we cannot afford to make life even more difficult for seniors and some of the most vulnerable people in America,” the senator said.

Sanders is a member of the Senate Budget Committee. He said he looks forward to working with colleagues “to build on the many positive proposals in the president’s budget and address those areas where the president’s proposals fall short.”