Manchin, Sinema put stamp on party, to progressive chagrin
By Alexander Bolton - 10/29/21 06:00 AM EDT
The $1.75 trillion social-spending framework unveiled by the White House on Thursday — a package half the size of what progressives imagined just weeks ago — shows Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) are winning the party debate over President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda.
Manchin and Sinema insisted a final package must be much smaller than the $3.5 trillion goal initially set by Democratic leaders, and they stuck to their demands.
The framework price tag is much closer to Manchin’s top line of $1.5 trillion than the $6 trillion some progressives dreamed of landing. Even after it became clear the $3.5 trillion goal would be shrunk, Democrats hoped for a range of $2.5 trillion to $2.8 trillion.
Then they revised their expectations to $1.9 trillion to $2.2 trillion.
On Thursday they got $1.75 trillion.
Biden insisted it would still be regarded as a major policy accomplishment if passed into law, and it’s true the bill would make a big achievement.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/579031-manchin-sinema-put-stamp-on-party-to-progressive-chagrin
