Liberals shiver as Biden seizes deal with Sinema, Manchin

Having held a two-hour meeting with White House officials, Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema appeared close to agreeing to advance President Joe Biden's domestic agenda, pending approval by their fellow Democrats.

According to a Democratic source, the president welcomed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for an afternoon meeting as part of his outreach to progressives. Bernie has opposed to the possibility of his Healthcare extension idea being excluded from a compromise, while Manchin has expressed reservations about extending government services.

Many Democrats indicated the agreement was nearly done, awaiting final approval from Biden and Sanders. If they reach an agreement, the president is anticipated to visit the House to push Democrats on an infrastructural vote, perhaps postponing his international travel on Thursday morning. Several members of Congress intend to join the house softball game on Wednesday.

“Everybody is working in such good faith. The president’s been wonderful,” Manchin said as progressive Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) yanked him into an elevator on Wednesday afternoon. “There’s 50 of us.”

Democrats are more certain that climate subsides and universal pre-kindergarten will be included in the proposal, as well as an expansion of the Child Tax Credit. But it all boils down to where Manchin and Sinema land — and whether the rest of the party's razor-thin majority agree to Biden's coalition building. According to Democratic insiders, the chairs of the Senate's climate-related committees met again on Wednesday afternoon.

27 Oct 2021