Biden Plays Referee As Centrist Dems Threaten To Scuttle Reconciliation

September 23, 2021
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 14: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. President Joe Biden speak briefly to reporters as they arrive at the U.S. Capitol for a Senate Democratic luncheon July 14, 2021 in Washi... WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 14: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. President Joe Biden speak briefly to reporters as they arrive at the U.S. Capitol for a Senate Democratic luncheon July 14, 2021 in Washington, DC. President Biden is on the Hill to discuss with Senate Democrats the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package they have reached overnight that would expand Medicare benefits, boost federal safety net programs and combat climate change. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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September 23, 2021

President Joe Biden met with the moderate and progressive factions of his party on Wednesday in an attempt to settle the tensions between the two camps. Demands by a handful of centrists in the House and Senate have threatened to torpedo the $3.5 trillion reconciliation plan that is core to the president’s agenda.

Democrats told Politico that the discussions didn’t end the stalemate, but they were at least a positive step.

“The first step was to convene all of us, and get us to start acting like grown-ups again,” said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) said. “The next step is to develop a procedural pathway, and the final step is to negotiate all of the substance.”

Follow our live coverage below.

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President Joe Biden met with the moderate and progressive factions of his party on Wednesday in an attempt to settle the tensions between the two camps. Demands by a handful of centrists in the House and Senate have threatened to torpedo the $3.5 trillion reconciliation plan that is core to the president’s agenda.

Democrats told Politico that the discussions didn’t end the stalemate, but they were at least a positive step.

“The first step was to convene all of us, and get us to start acting like grown-ups again,” said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) said. “The next step is to develop a procedural pathway, and the final step is to negotiate all of the substance.”

Follow our live coverage below.

Notable Replies

  1. I don’t like these kinds of provocateur headlines…factions saying “do it MY way or else”.

    O’Donnell’s show last night came off the same…and yet completely different in posturing

    Both Jonathan Capehart and E.J. Dionne had completely different (and more encouraging) postures on these ongoing negotiations.

    I think the deals get done, mainly because the Dems have to do it.

    This ain’t a Dodge City Western

  2. The next week is going to be legislating at its worst. Yes, we will end up with some sort of sausage that will provide us with the infrastructure bill and with a reconciliation bill that is considerably less than $3.5 trillion and uses a part of whatever amount is approved to raise the debt ceiling. We will probably then have some kind of stand-alone continuing resolution to allow the government to function. And I imagine that eventually Joe Manchin will decide that if the GOP blocks his voting rights bill the filibuster will be lifted for that one matter.

    The process however will look not like a train wreck but rather the Hindenburg crashing into the sinking Titanic.

  3. At this point I feel like it’s become an involuntary guttural Gollum noise my body just has to make on an intermittent basis…

    FUCK

    JOE

    MANCHIN

  4. As an Arizonan, I am letting Sinema know that mine is one vote she got in 2020 that she will never get again if she doesn’t quit posturing and start voting for the things I elected her to support. I hope everyone is letting their “centrist” (that word is starting to cause an involuntary gag reflex in me) reps and senators know that they are NOT supported by anyone who actually votes or cares about politics in the Democratic party. I don’t know ANYONE, D or R, who doesn’t want to see the pharma companies brought to heel on pricing.

  5. "The Manchiners need to put a proposal on the table. "

    Not happening. Not proposing anything, while you’re being paid to make sure nothing gets done, is their trump card (pun intended). Game. Set. Match.

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