Top Democrat: We Will Find ‘Common Ground’ on Spending Package
"Let’s just say I’m comfortable with where we are," Clyburn says
Despite current dissention over congressional Democrats’ planned $3.5 trillion spending package which could scuttle the bill entirely, a top Democrat in the House leadership said that he believes that an agreement will be reached for the sprawling package to move forward.
Senate Democrats, led by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt), have spent weeks putting together a $3.5 trillion spending deal as a vehicle to enact much of their agenda.
That effort ran off the road when conservative Sen Joe Manchin of West Virginia said that he wouldn't support the current plan, which would fund a massive investment in the battle against global climate change, expand coverage under Medicare, cut the costs of prescription drugs and more.
Sanders, however, has continued to lead the fight for the package, which is to be considered under a budget process known as “reconciliation,” which would make it immune to filibustering.
Despite back-and-forth from Manchin and Sanders, House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) said that he has faith in the members of his party to negotiate successfully.
Democrats also ought to stop worrying about the price tag associated with the bill and figure out what the needs are that must be addressed, said Clyburn, the third-ranking Democrat in House leadership.
“And if we are comfortable that we are doing everything that needs to be done for the American people, then let the experts put the number on it, and that will determine how much we need to spend,” he said. “And so it may be 3.5, it may be close to that, or it may be closer to something else. So, I think that we ought to really focus on the American people and think about what it takes to get us in a good place, and then let the numbers take care of themselves.”
But in the end, Democrats all want a deal, according to Clyburn.
“Well, let’s just say I’m comfortable with where we are. Yes, I believe in our party. I believe in our leadership. I believe in all of the members that make up this great tent that we operate under. I think we’ll get there. It’s going to take some work, and we are going to do the work. I don’t know that there’s anybody in our party who feels that we cannot get there,” he said. “They just want to make sure that all of the I’s are dotted, the T’s are crossed and that we are responding to the American people’s needs and aspirations.”
It will be up to progressives and moderates within the party to find “common ground,” Clyburn said.
“Well, you know, I’ve been in this business a long time. You know, one thing I have found out, that, in politics, as in families, you sit down and you find — try to find common ground,” he said Sunday in an on-air interview with CNN host Jake Tapper. “Now, some people may call that compromise. I call that doing what is necessary to maintain the integrity of the whole body. And that’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to find common ground. And you may want to call it compromise, but that’s what I call it, finding common ground.”
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