Democrats and liberal groups want to renew negotiations on President Biden’s $1.75 trillion social welfare and climate change package in hopes of striking a deal before the end of February.
Lawmakers point to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and increasing inflation as an impetus for passing the package, known as the Build Back Better Act.
“In the months since negotiations around the Build Back Better Act stalled, the case for this legislation has only become more urgent,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Washington Democrat and chair of the 98-member Congressional Progressive Caucus. “This desperately needed relief cannot be delayed any longer.”
Far-left Democrats like Ms. Jayapal add that if a deal does not materialize by March 1, the bill could be permanently sidelined by other legislative business, including the Supreme Court vacancy caused by Justice Stephen G. Breyer’s retirement.
The timing is also political.
Democrats want Mr. Biden to use this year’s State of the Union address, set for March 1, as a platform to trumpet their accomplishments ahead of the midterm elections.
“For the state of our union to truly be strong — in a way that working people can feel in their lives — now is the time for Democrats in the House and Senate to make good on those promises, enact the president’s vision and pass the Build Back Better Act,” Ms. Jayapal said.
More than 250 progressive groups, including major labor unions like the AFL-CIO and the SEIU, are backing the March 1 timeline.
The SEIU is even launching an $800,000 ad campaign to pressure two moderate Democrats, Sens. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, into relinquishing their opposition to the bill.
The size of the spending and its narrow focus reflects the reality that Democrats are facing.
Despite Build Back Better being supported by Mr. Biden and the majority of Democrats, the legislation is all but dead because of its inability to pass the 50-50 Senate.
Since the package garnered universal opposition from Republicans, the only hope for its passage was along party lines using budget reconciliation. The process allows some tax and spending measures to avert the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster threshold and pass with a simple majority.
Party unity proved impossible when Mr. Manchin signaled his opposition, citing concerns the bill relied too heavily on budget gimmicks and would exacerbate inflation.
“Despite my best efforts, I cannot explain the sweeping Build Back Better Act in West Virginia and I cannot vote to move forward on this mammoth piece of legislation,” Mr. Manchin said.
Democrats and White House officials have pledged to continue lobbying Mr. Manchin to change his mind. Mr. Manchin says there has been little movement on the topic since he announced his opposition last year.
“There’s not been any formal basically sit-down meetings or things of that sort,” he said.
Given Mr. Manchin’s opposition, Democrats are attempting to chart a new path forward.
Most, including Mr. Biden, say that breaking the package up and passing it piecemeal is the best way forward.
At the moment, Democrats say their focus will likely be on a smaller climate change package premised around a $550 billion tax credit program to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Mr. Manchin has signaled openness to something on climate change, provided it is not punitive to West Virginia’s coal and natural gas industry.
Eager for a win, some progressive Democrats even argue that Mr. Manchin should be allowed to write the climate change package himself so the party can move and claim victory.
“Manchin should have the pen, we should respect that whatever he wants to do will be reasonable and ultimately be historic,” said Rep. Ro Khanna, California Democrat.
Not everyone agrees with the strategy, however.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has warned that a watered-down Build Back Better package will fail to energize the Democratic Party’s progressive base ahead of the midterms.
“The moderate end of the party has received everything that they have wanted from President Biden,” said Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat. “They got their agenda, they got their infrastructure plan … I can’t really point to any real substantive or serious or intellectually rigorous argument as to anything that the progressive wing has done, aside from supporting President Biden, oftentimes more than the moderate wing of the party has, in a way that led to sinking poll numbers.”
• Haris Alic can be reached at halic@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.