White House tries to lock down deal with Manchin, Sinema

Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) met with White House officials for roughly two hours Wednesday as Democrats race to try to lock down a deal on their social spending package.

Cutting a deal with the two key moderates would give a big boost to President Biden and Democratic leaders, who have struggled to break stalemates on key issues. 

Manchin, who told reporters earlier Wednesday that Democrats should “absolutely” have a deal by the end of the day, indicated that they now needed to get feedback from the other 48 members of the caucus, who are at odds with the two moderates on several key issues.

“It would be nice if it does,” Manchin said after the meeting, asked if a deal could come together today.

“It’s up to, you know, everybody; the caucus has to have their input. Everybody. There’s 50 people,” Manchin said.

Sinema added that negotiations were “doing great” and “making progress.”

Democrats and the White House are scrambling to get an agreement before Biden leaves for an international trip, with Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) saying that he was “hopeful” they could get a deal on a framework by the end of the day.

Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), who was part of a bipartisan lunch Manchin and Sinema attended on Wednesday, said the two gave no indication that they had wrapped their negotiations with the White House.

“Not at all,” Tester said, asked if Manchin and Sinema indicated that they were done talking with the White House.

But Democrats are still trying to work out several details.

Manchin has said that his preferred top-line figure is $1.5 trillion, but Democrats are hoping to get him up to $1.75 trillion. That would be roughly halfway to the $2 trillion range floated by the White House.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has proposed a “billionaires tax,” which would target unrealized assets.

But that’s sparked opposition from Manchin, and several other senators haven’t yet bought in, including Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.).

The fluid support could put pressure on Democrats to drop the provision from its package.

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) fumed on Wednesday over the tax setbacks. 

“Every sensible revenue option seems to be destroyed. … So it seems to me almost every sensible progressive revenue option that the president wants, that the American people want, that I want seems to be sabotaged,” he told reporters. 

Democrats are also still trying to get pared-down plans to expand Medicare and allow drug pricing negotiations into the bill. 

“I am working especially hard to strengthen Medicare and make prescription drugs more affordable. Sen. Sanders has worked hard to push for many of these Medicare provisions, and I support them,” Schumer said.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) told reporters that she is also still trying to get a paid leave program into the bill. 

“I’m working on the best, strongest, most robust plan I can with Joe Manchin, and hopefully he will accept my proposal, but I’m still working,” she said.