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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDemocrats plow 'full speed ahead' on sweeping Biden budget, despite tensions
WASHINGTON The top two Democrats said theyre pushing forward with President Joe Bidens sweeping safety net expansion, as House committees circulate legislative text with hearings scheduled Thursday to start advancing major sections of the bill.
We're moving full speed ahead, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters on a call Wednesday.
The New York Democrat effectively cast aside calls by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., for a strategic pause in the process of crafting the bill, as he voiced concerns about inflation and debt in a recent op-ed for the Wall Street Journal.
Schumer is navigating demands by Manchin, as well as Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., to reduce the price tag that Democrats set at a maximum of $3.5 trillion in the budget resolution.
There are some in my caucus who believe $3.5 trillion is too much; there are some in my caucus who believe it's too little, Schumer said. We're going to work very hard to have unity, because without unity, we're not going to get anything.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/democrats-plow-full-speed-ahead-on-sweeping-biden-budget-despite-tensions/ar-AAOeHGd
Democrats confront numerous hurdles as they work to advance $3.5 trillion economic package
House Democrats are set to begin writing significant swaths of their $3.5 trillion tax-and-spending plan on Thursday, even as new political fissures among their ranks threaten to complicate its path to passage.
The days ahead are likely to be grueling for the partys lawmakers, who are about to embark on the tough task of translating President Bidens broader economic agenda into law. To start, Democrats intend to focus their efforts on proposals to expand Medicare benefits, authorize new family and medical leave programs and make child care and community college more affordable.
But Democrats are starting their legislative slog at a precarious time politically, as the partys liberal and moderate factions increasingly snipe at each other over the price tag and policy scope of their still-forming bill.
On one side are lawmakers including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who initially hoped to spend even more than $3.5 trillion over 10 years and maintains a strong preference for aggressive policy changes, particularly in areas like health care. Opposite are centrists such as Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), who has signaled he may support a tax-and-spending package only if it is closer to half the size of what Democrats have proposed.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/democrats-confront-numerous-hurdles-as-they-work-to-advance-dollar35-trillion-economic-package/ar-AAOekFE