Biden bombs on persuading Manchin to budge on proposed $3.5T spending bill.

President Biden failed to persuade Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to agree to spending $3.5 trillion on the Democrats' budget reconciliation package during their Oval Office meeting on Wednesday, people familiar with the matter tell Axios.

Why it matters: Defying a president from his own party — face-to-face — is the strongest indication yet Manchin is serious about cutting specific programs and limiting the price tag of any potential bill to $1.5 trillion. His insistence could blow up the deal for progressives and others.

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Axios was told Biden explained to Manchin his opposition could imperil the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill that's already passed the Senate. Biden's analysis did little to persuade Manchin to raise his top line.

Manchin held his position and appears willing to let the bipartisan bill hang in the balance, given his entrenched opposition to many of the specific proposals in the $3.5 trillion spending package, Axios was told.

While the two left the meeting having made little progress, and are still some $2 trillion apart, the conversation was friendly and they agreed to keep talking.

What they're saying: "Sen. Manchin is an important partner," said Andrew Bates, deputy White House press secretary. "We do not discuss the contents of private meetings."

Flashback: In early March, with Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package in danger of failing, he called Manchin and told him, “If you don’t come along, you’re really f**king me,” according to a new book by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa.

Manchin eventually voted for the bill, after holding out for some last-minute changes.

Between the lines: While Biden has claimed he's pursuing a dual-track approach on the two spending bills, he's occasionally jumped tracks — like when he essentially threatened to veto the bipartisan transportation bill moments after endorsing it.

Two days later, Biden withdrew his threat and said in a statement that a veto threat “was certainly not my intent."

His latest comments to Manchin linking the two bills underscore a political reality on Capitol Hill: House progressives will sink the $1.2 trillion bipartisan transportation bill if Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) don’t agree to massive amounts of new spending in the reconciliation package.

Biden wants to use the Democrat-only reconciliation package to expand the social safety net as part of his Build Back Better Agenda.

The big picture: Biden predicated his presidency on his ability to appeal to Republicans and help heal the country.

He also counted on dusting off some signature Senate moves to convince his former Republican colleagues to help him usher in a new, post-Trump, bipartisan political world.

With the exception of a bipartisan China bill, the president has had little success persuading Senate Republicans to support his priorities. Opposition hardened after he jammed through a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus bill in March.

In recent days, Republicans seem even more recalcitrant, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) insisting Democrats raise the debt ceiling by themselves. and Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) all-but-freezing the Senate's confirmation process.

Go deeper: The White House said Thursday night the president spoke with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) about "their ongoing coordination and outreach around making the case for building an economy that delivers for the middle class."

https://www.yahoo.com/news/biden-bom...002447866.html

Biden is terrible

Biden didn't take the blue pill before going into negotiations.

Manchin is an R in blue clothing and did not vote for the DA in 2010. Don't give me "the people change" BS speech and don't pay attention to hot gas coming out of the mouths of politicians. The cookie is crumbling into tiny crumbs real fast.

Hey, when can we expect our guaranteed green card you were talking about a few weeks ago?

You're terrible too

That was before Biden revealed his terribleness

Biden really about to take another L.

Lower


The


Amount.

Assuming Dems are giving this a good faith effort, I’ll give them credit though for trying. Fucking Manchin and Sinema. I say lower the amount. Fuck it.

Somehow though, there is a proposal for banks to report all aggregate transactions over $600 to the IRS and break down the transactions for physical cash in that same reconciliation bill. This will put a target on the backs of all immigrants who don't have work authorization and have to get paid in cash and have to put it in a bank in order to pay their rent and bills. I'm guessing a lot of legal immigrants also have cash side jobs and such. I have a feeling that this part will end up passing. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/bi...00-dollar-irs/