AOC says Biden's $2.3T mega-spending plan should be 'way higher'

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said President Biden's new $2.3 spending plan is too small and progressives in the House will push to make the package "way higher," with a goal of $10 trillion over 10 years.

Speaking to MSNBC's Rachel Maddow on Wednesday, the democratic socialist says Biden's plan is a good start in terms of priorities but much more is needed to address the economic downtown, income inequality disparities and climate crisis.

Ocasio-Cortez raised "serious concerns" the $2.3 trillion in spending over eight years is "not enough to realize the very inspiring vision that Biden has advanced."

"We know that there is so much more opportunity here," she continued. "And in order for us to realize this inspiring vision, we need to go way higher."

In the 2020 fiscal year, the federal government ran an annual deficit of $3.1 trillion -- more than triple the deficit of the previous year, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. The cumulative national debt now sits at $28 trillion.

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Ocasio-Cortez tweeted her concerns about the package being too small earlier Wednesday, but in the MSNBC interview, she outlined just how far she'd like the package to grow.

The second-term House member echoed the goal of other progressives of spending $10 trillion over 10 years. She acknowledged the figure may sound "eye-popping" to some, but she argued that's what is necessary to respond to the current "devastating economic moment," a "crippled" healthcare system, a "starved" public housing infrastructure and the "planetary crisis on our hands."

"We can do $10 trillion," Ocasio-Cortez said.

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Opposition from the New York congresswoman could prove to be a problem for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as she aims to quickly shepherd Biden's newest sprawling spending bill through the House. Democrats can only afford to lose a handful of votes due to their slim majority and Ocasio-Cortez is highly influential with the more progressive members of the Democratic House caucus.

Meanwhile, some other Democrats from New York and New Jersey, led by Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., pose another threat to the Biden plan. They say they won't vote for the corporate tax hikes that will supposedly pay for the infrastructure bill unless it also repeals the caps on state and local tax (SALT) deductions that disproportionately hurt people in Democratic states with high taxes.

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On the other side of the aisle, Republicans have been quick to pounce on Biden's plan, signaling that once again bipartisan support may be very hard to come by.

Republicans have balked at Biden's $2.3 trillion price tag as too high and opposed the $2 trillion in corporate tax hikes the president is proposing to pay for the infrastructure priorities.

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Fox News' Tyler Olson contributed to this report.