'This Is The President’s Agenda'
Key Democrat wants Biden to negotiate more directly with hold-outs, Manchin and Sinema
As Democrats continue to wrangle over the fate of their Build Back Better Act, one key House Democrat involved in the negotiations wants President Biden to take a much more active role in getting the sprawling spending package across the legislative finish line.
Democrats in Washington DC have, for weeks, been absorbed by trying to pass their Build Back Better Act, which would enact much of Biden's domestic agenda ahead of next year's midterm elections.
The bill would extend child tax credits, help families with childcare and eldercare, reduce the cost of prescription drugs, provide the largest federal investment in the fight against global climate change — and more.
Democrats, however, have been stymied in the Senate by two of their own — Sens Joe Manchin of West Virginia, and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona — which are critical votes that they need to pass the bill without Republican support.
Negotiations with Manchin and Sinema have been ongoing.
"So, in this situation, this Build Back Better Act has been crafted by 98 percent of Democrats. I think that’s a pretty good process, actually. But now there are two people that still need to come onboard and the president is in many ways, in my view, the best person to be talking with them,” said Rep Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash), a House progressive who has been at the forefront of those talks. “I have had a conversation with Senator Sinema, and Senator Manchin and I also — you know, I’ve suggested that I’m happy to sit down with him, he’s suggested that he’s happy to sit down with me. So maybe that will happen.
“But the real negotiation here is with the president because this is the president’s agenda. This isn’t some agenda of 10 senators that was developed separate from everyone else,” she added. “No, this is the president’s agenda, so I think it’s completely appropriate that those two hold-out senators would talk to the president about what they believe.”
Negotiations are tricky, regardless, Jayapal said.
“Now, I at the same time am also talking to the president, to the White House, to others about what we need just so we don’t get into a situation where something gets negotiated that we simply are not going to be able to deliver the votes for, because we have thin margins in the House as well,” she said. “And as one senator said to me yesterday, it is important that we get all 50 senators onboard, not just two, so that is also another consideration here.”
Do you find this post of value?
Please share it…