President Joe Biden’s sweeping climate and social spending plan is staggering into the New Year, with no clear prognosis for how to get it through the Senate.
Senate Democrats don't know if the bill needs to be completely revamped to win Sen. Joe Manchin’s support. They don’t know when it’s going to come to the Senate floor for a vote. They don’t know how close Biden is to a deal with Manchin. They don't know how to keep the child tax credit from expiring at the end of the year.
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Biden himself said — in a statement on Thursday night that name-checked Manchin three times — that work with the West Virginia senator will continue in the coming days and weeks. Biden said Manchin still supports a $1.7 trillion spending level and that he needs more time to finalize negotiations.
Manchin responded dryly to Biden’s statement on Friday in a brief interview: “The president put out a statement. It’s his statement, not mine.” The two spoke several times this week.
Meanwhile, Democrats said privately they fear they're no closer than where they started the week, with Manchin again questioning the entire structure of the legislation. And for the first time, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Friday appeared to acknowledge the bill wouldn’t pass this month: “The president requested more time to continue his negotiations.”
The impending holiday recess failed to create pressure for a deal, despite Schumer’s hopes of a Christmas breakthrough. The forthcoming expiration of the expanded child tax credit didn’t move Manchin either...
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