- The Washington Times - Wednesday, September 29, 2021

White House press secretary Jen Psaki pushed back Wednesday on claims from some Democrats that President Biden needs to be more involved in negotiations to advance his multitrillion-dollar economic agenda.

Rep. Debbie Dingell, Michigan Democrat, told MSNBC on Wednesday that Mr. Biden needs to do more than focus on two senators, a swipe at the administration’s effort to woo two Democrats who are withholding support for the $3.5 trillion social spending plan: Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin III of West Virginia.

“I think he’s got to talk to more than two senators now,” she said. “You hear about two senators all the time, you hear about a few House members, and there are a lot of House members in between … that all care. They represent constituencies, they’re trying to figure out the right thing to do.”

Ms. Psaki told reporters that Ms. Dingell’s comments were out of line.

“The president has spoken over the last several days with a range of different voices,” she said. “He knows the most constructive role he can play in this moment is working to unify Democrats, and a big part of that, of course, is working towards an agreement to get votes in the Senate.”

• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.

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