By Eric Ham
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – President Biden met with House progressives who then signaled major changes to the legislation to expand the social safety net.
Tuition-free community college, a major priority of the White House, will be dropped. Moreover, the child tax credit — another key Democratic priority — would likely be extended for one additional year, much shorter than what many Democrats wanted.
The child tax credit will also likely be means tested, keeping with what Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WVa, had wanted. Proposed funding for homecare for the elderly and disabled is also being reduced from $400 billion to $250 billion. Medicare expansion remains in place which is in line with what Democrats wanted.
The on-again off-again negotiations appear to be moving forward with new momentum. However, major issues still remain. The climate change issue is unsettled as progressives want to go much farther but coal country’s Manchin remains unmoved. He said he would oppose an electricity standard to force utilities to use cleaner-burning fuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% over the next decade.
Biden pressed progressives in the meeting to reach an agreement. Democratic lawmakers however, have remained steadfast that both infrastructure bills must move through Congress simultaneously or not at all.
It is as unclear as ever if President Biden can persuade the left-wing to move off that demand. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, progressive caucus chair, has been insistent the president’s entire agenda must be considered as a whole, leaving undecided whether her votes will tolerate splitting the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package from the larger multi-trillion social infrastructure bill.
The big bill’s price tag seems now to be around $2 trillion or slightly less, considerably smaller than $3.5 trillion the president and progressives wanted. Meanwhile, Senators Manchin and Sanders have ended their war of words in an effort to reach a deal. Both senators met recently off the Senate floor, a sign many believe to be a breakthrough.
Yet, if Sen. Manchin has been a riddle that Democrats now believe they have finally figured, fellow moderate Democrat, Krysten Sinema, remains an enigma. Her support is crucial if the bill is to get to the president’s desk. No one knows where Sinema stands on the proposed changes.
—
Contact this reporter; eric@macenews.com
Content may appear first or exclusively on the Mace News premium service. For real-time delivery contact tony@macenews.com. Twitter headlines @macenewsmacro