Manchin, Sanders to seek deal on Biden agenda
By Alexander Bolton - 10/19/21 03:31 PM EDT
Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) are seeking to reach a deal on a path forward for President Biden’s economic agenda by the end of the week.
The negotiation between the Senate’s most important centrist and leading progressive was described as a “breakthrough” by one Democratic senator amid stalemated talks over a Senate-passed infrastructure bill and a larger social spending package being crafted in the House and Senate.
“We’ve made breakthroughs,” the Democratic senator said, describing a sense of optimism shared by multiple Senate Democrats after a lunch meeting where Manchin said he would work directly with Sanders.
“Universally there was a desire to get this done by the end of this week,” said a Democratic senator who participated in the meeting and noted that Manchin indicted he will try to reach agreement with Sanders on a framework for the reconciliation package by week’s end.
Manchin and Sanders met for the second time this week Tuesday evening just off the Senate floor, a sign that they’re working quickly to get a deal as soon as possible.
“I think this thing has dragged on for a very long time and the American people want it to be resolved,” Sanders said after the meeting, adding he and Manchin will meet again this week.
“I think there’s a strong feeling within the caucus that we either fish or cut bait to get this thing done or we don’t get it done but that it does not continue to drag on forever,” he said.
Sanders and Manchin over the weekend had seemed to be at each other’s throats, with Sanders writing an op-ed in a West Virginia newspaper decrying Manchin’s position on the economic negotiations.
more
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/577439-manchin-says-hell-push-for-spending-framework-by-weeks-end
