Joe Biden said on Thursday that he believed Democratic lawmakers were getting close to agreeing on a top-line figure for spending legislation that contains some of President Joe Manchin's promised social programs.
Democratic lawmakers have been working to pass a deal to pass an infrastructure measure and a social spending and climate change package - after weeks of intraparty bickering between progressives and moderates including Manchin - by carving out some long-pledged social programs to get a deal done.
We're looking at everything today and tomorrow and hopefully we can either have a framework: We agree or disagree and it is either irreconcilable or it is something we can work out, Manchin told reporters on Capitol Hill. I think we are getting close to arranging a top-line, yes. During a visit to his native Scranton, Pennsylvania, Biden, a Democrat, said Wednesday night that the social spending legislation, plus a separate $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, would create 2 million jobs a year for 20 years and not raise deficit spending. How to pay for the bills remains up in the air, particularly after the White House told some Democrats https: www.reuters.com. com world us white-house tells-democrats - corporate tax - hike-unlikely - congressional-source - 2021 - 10 - 20 this week that a plan to raise corporate taxes may be dead.
Manchin has balked at the original $3.5 trillion price tag for the spending bill and has been pushing for cuts. Asked if he would accept the $1.9 trillion figure some progressive lawmakers have suggested, he said, Negotiations are ongoing. Fellow Democratic Senator Jon Tester also said lawmakers were close to a top-line number, which he said was more important than a framework for the agreement.
I think that's what will allow us to move forward. You get the top-line number, we're off and running, Tester told reporters at Capitol.