Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders is holding five town meetings around the state over the long Labor Day weekend to talk about the $3.5 trillion federal budget proposal.

“If passed, this bill will be the most consequential piece of legislation for working people, the elderly, the children, the sick, and the poor since FDR and the New Deal of the 1930s,” the independent Sanders, chair of the Senate Budget Committee, said in a statement. “Not only will this bill go a long way to improving life for working families, it will also in an unprecedented way address the threat of climate change and create millions of good paying jobs.”

The Vermont meetings are planned for Saturday at 4 p.m. in Springfield at the Comtu Cascade Park; Sunday at 12 p.m. in Newport at the Gardner Memorial Park and at 5 p.m. at the St. Johnsbury Welcome Center; and Monday at 12 p.m. at the Brattleboro Common and 4 p.m. at the Middlebury town green.

All meetings will be held outside, rain or shine. Mask-wearing is encouraged, regardless of vaccination status, Sanders’ office said.

Sanders’ office is asking those wishing to attend to RSVP on the senator’s website.