House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin are at a crossroads over President Joe Biden's agenda to transform the government's role in the country. The Democratic leader said Wednesday that the White House needs to sign off on a multitrillion-dollar bill expanding the social safety net before House liberals vote for a roughly $1 trillion infrastructure bill on Thursday. Manchin, a pivotal vote in the 50-50 Senate, told CNN "that won't happen.""While I am hopeful that common ground can be found that would result in another historic investment in our nation, I cannot — and will not — support trillions in spending or an all or nothing approach that ignores the brutal fiscal reality our nation faces," added Manchin in a statement. "There is a better way and I believe we can find it if we are willing to continue to negotiate in good faith."The back-and-forth between two high-profile Democrats highlights the dilemma facing negotiators trying to nail down an agreement by Thursday, when a crucial authorization allowing federal highway funds to flow to the states expires. With a split Senate and a tenuous hold on the House, liberal and moderate Democrats are leveraging their power to make sure their colleagues support their top priority. House moderates want to pass the Senate's bipartisan infrastructure bill, which would spend hundreds of billions of dollars upgrading roads, bridges, transit, rail, broadband, airports, ports and waterways. Meanwhile, liberal House Democrats want to pass a massive proposal known as the Build Back Better Act, which would expand the child tax credit and Medicare's ability to cover vision, hearing and dental care, fund community college and universal prekindergarten initiatives, combat climate change, and fund elder care and paid leave programs. The bill would be paid for, at least in part, by huge tax increases primarily on corporations and the wealthy. But the conflicting demands of the two wings of the Democratic Party have put Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and Pelosi in a tough spot, as progressives push to strike a deal with moderates on their once-in-a-generation bill. Pelosi said Wednesday that Democrats need to have "legislative language — not just principles" that Biden supports to move forward."It has to meet his standard," she said. But Manchin and Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona have criticized the $3.5 trillion price tag on the broader economic agenda bill, as well as individual components, including efforts to address climate change and increase the corporate tax rate. Manchin and Sinema have been engaged with the White House in negotiations over the bill all week. White House staffers met again with Sinema on Wednesday in her office on Capitol Hill. Manchin said, "All we need to do is pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill, sit down and start negotiating in good faith. That's it.
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Article Link: https://us.cnn.com/2021/09/29/politics/infrastructure-negotiations-congress/index.html
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