Democrats privately conceded Wednesday that they were all but certain to delay consideration of President Joe Biden’s $2.2 trillion social policy bill in the Senate until 2022, missing a self-imposed Christmas deadline as negotiations with a key centrist holdout, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, sputtered.

Private talks this week between Biden and Manchin, who is pushing to curtail the scope of the package and shrink its price tag, have failed to resolve crucial differences, according to White House officials and congressional aides. And leading Democrats have yet to complete work on the complex social safety net, climate and tax package.

Many White House aides have grown frustrated with the pace of the discussions, although still optimistic that the bill will pass next year. Administration officials had expressed confidence earlier this month that an agreement with Manchin was close, but their enthusiasm had faded by Wednesday, after two days of calls between Biden and the senator produced no breakthroughs.

Asked if the legislation could be finished this year, Biden told reporters Wednesday: “I hope so. It’s going to be close.”

Several administration officials said privately this week that they now expect the legislation, which passed the House earlier this year, to slip into next year, perhaps into the spring.

“It’s our long-standing rule not to discuss the specifics of private discussions with lawmakers, but the president and Sen. Manchin have had productive and friendly conversations,” said Andrew Bates, a White House spokesperson, who denied that Biden was frustrated with the process.

A senior administration official said White House aides continued to push hard to secure a deal on the legislation and predicted that Biden would ultimately find a way to pass the bill — as he did with an economic stimulus measure in March and a bipartisan infrastructure bill this fall.

While final decisions have not yet been made, party leaders have quietly backed away from their Christmas deadline in recent days. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the Senate majority leader, said Wednesday that Democrats “continue working on getting the Senate into a position where we can vote on the president’s ‘Build Back Better’ legislation,” without a mention of the holiday or any timetable for doing so.

With hopes of a quick victory on the social policy bill fading, Democrats were weighing a renewed push to prioritize voting rights legislation, long stalled by Republican opposition, before the end of the year.

“I would like to see ‘Build Back Better’ dealt with as quickly as possible, but if we can’t deal with it right now, it’s far more important that we deal with the voting rights issue,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., chair of the Budget Committee.

But the prospect of a delay frustrated liberal Democrats, who had already been wary that centrist Democrats would dash their ambitions for passage of the bill after shepherding through a bipartisan infrastructure measure.

It was a scenario that several Democrats had sought to avoid: that after allowing the infrastructure bill to pass and agreeing to substantially pare down their marquee domestic policy bill to appease Manchin and other centrists, they would come away empty-handed. With Republicans united in opposition to the package, Democrats cannot move forward in the evenly divided Senate without the support of all 50 lawmakers who caucus with them.

“I’m still hopeful that it will pass. I’m not going to have a post-mortem on something that hasn’t died,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said at her weekly news conference. “I think we will have legislation and it will pass. I hope the sooner the better, especially since we had certain deadlines.”

The most notable dispute between Manchin and Biden, according to multiple people familiar with the discussions, remains a proposal to extend an expanded $300 monthly payment to families with children for another year. Manchin voted in March to expand the payments, a signature component of the $1.9 trillion pandemic aid bill that has helped reduce child poverty, and Democrats hoped to expand the payments for another year.

One person briefed on the talks between Biden and Manchin said the senator had proposed outright eliminating the expanded payment, which would jeopardize the support of other liberal Democrats. Other officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose details of private conversations, said that Manchin had raised concerns about exacerbating inflation trends, the lack of a work requirement to qualify for the payments and additional costs should the subsidy be expanded beyond the current one-year timeline.

Manchin grew irritated Wednesday when pressed on whether he supported the expanded credits, offering a profane denial that he opposed the provision and dismissing what he called “bad rumors.”

The final payments of the year were sent to families Wednesday, and administration officials had cautioned that the extension needed to become law before the end of the month to avoid a lapse.

Outside of Manchin’s concerns, Democrats were still scrambling to finalize the legislation and resolve outstanding policy differences, including an unfinished compromise on raising the cap on state and local tax deductions.

Because the package is being muscled through Congress using the fast-track budget reconciliation process, which shields fiscal legislation from a filibuster, it is subject to strict rules governing what can be included. Democrats are still working feverishly to ensure that every provision can pass muster with the Senate parliamentarian. Guidance has yet to be issued on a number of key proposals, including immigration provisions, as Republicans seek to challenge their inclusion under the rules.

But Democrats have focused on Manchin, whose concerns have already prompted them to drop or modify several of the measure’s key components, including jettisoning anti-climate change provisions and dropping a federal paid and family medical leave benefit.

Having pushed for a lower price tag, he also repeatedly raised concerns about how the package would affect inflation and the economy.

“He has made some dramatic changes in this bill and its contents and its total,” Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat, told reporters earlier this week. “I’ve told him, ‘Joe, you’ve got your mark on this bill, now close the deal.’ I still feel that way.”

Democrats privately conceded Wednesday that they were all but certain to delay consideration of President Joe Biden’s $2.2 trillion social policy bill in the Senate until 2022, missing a self-imposed Christmas deadline as negotiations with a key centrist holdout, Sen.

Democrats privately conceded Wednesday that they were all but certain to delay consideration of President Joe Biden’s $2.2 trillion social policy bill in the Senate until 2022, missing a self-imposed Christmas deadline as negotiations with a key centrist holdout, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, sputtered. Private talks this week between Biden and Manchin, who is pushing to curtail the scope of the package and shrink its price tag, have failed to resolve crucial differences, according to White House officials and congressional aides. And leading Democrats have yet to complete work on the complex social safety net, climate and tax package. Many White House aides have grown frustrated with the pace of the discussions, although still optimistic that the bill will pass next year. Administration officials had expressed confidence earlier this month that an agreement with Manchin was close, but their enthusiasm had faded by Wednesday, after two days of calls between Biden and the senator produced no breakthroughs. Asked if the legislation could be finished this year, Biden told reporters Wednesday: “I hope so. It’s going to be close.” Several administration officials said privately this week that they now expect the legislation, which passed the House earlier this year, to slip into next year, perhaps into the spring. “It’s our long-standing rule not to discuss the specifics of private discussions with lawmakers, but the president and Sen. Manchin have had productive and friendly conversations,” said Andrew Bates, a White House spokesperson, who denied that Biden was frustrated with the process. A senior administration official said White House aides continued to push hard to secure a deal on the legislation and predicted that Biden would ultimately find a way to pass the bill — as he did with an economic stimulus measure in March and a bipartisan infrastructure bill this fall. While final decisions have not yet been made, party leaders have quietly backed away from their Christmas deadline in recent days. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the Senate majority leader, said Wednesday that Democrats “continue working on getting the Senate into a position where we can vote on the president’s ‘Build Back Better’ legislation,” without a mention of the holiday or any timetable for doing so. With hopes of a quick victory on the social policy bill fading, Democrats were weighing a renewed push to prioritize voting rights legislation, long stalled by Republican opposition, before the end of the year. “I would like to see ‘Build Back Better’ dealt with as quickly as possible, but if we can’t deal with it right now, it’s far more important that we deal with the voting rights issue,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., chair of the Budget Committee. But the prospect of a delay frustrated liberal Democrats, who had already been wary that centrist Democrats would dash their ambitions for passage of the bill after shepherding through a bipartisan infrastructure measure. It was a scenario that several Democrats had sought to avoid: that after allowing the infrastructure bill to pass and agreeing to substantially pare down their marquee domestic policy bill to appease Manchin and other centrists, they would come away empty-handed. With Republicans united in opposition to the package, Democrats cannot move forward in the evenly divided Senate without the support of all 50 lawmakers who caucus with them. “I’m still hopeful that it will pass. I’m not going to have a post-mortem on something that hasn’t died,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said at her weekly news conference. “I think we will have legislation and it will pass. I hope the sooner the better, especially since we had certain deadlines.” The most notable dispute between Manchin and Biden, according to multiple people familiar with the discussions, remains a proposal to extend an expanded $300 monthly payment to families with children for another year. Manchin voted in March to expand the payments, a signature component of the $1.9 trillion pandemic aid bill that has helped reduce child poverty, and Democrats hoped to expand the payments for another year. One person briefed on the talks between Biden and Manchin said the senator had proposed outright eliminating the expanded payment, which would jeopardize the support of other liberal Democrats. Other officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose details of private conversations, said that Manchin had raised concerns about exacerbating inflation trends, the lack of a work requirement to qualify for the payments and additional costs should the subsidy be expanded beyond the current one-year timeline. Manchin grew irritated Wednesday when pressed on whether he supported the expanded credits, offering a profane denial that he opposed the provision and dismissing what he called “bad rumors.” The final payments of the year were sent to families Wednesday, and administration officials had cautioned that the extension needed to become law before the end of the month to avoid a lapse. Outside of Manchin’s concerns, Democrats were still scrambling to finalize the legislation and resolve outstanding policy differences, including an unfinished compromise on raising the cap on state and local tax deductions. Because the package is being muscled through Congress using the fast-track budget reconciliation process, which shields fiscal legislation from a filibuster, it is subject to strict rules governing what can be included. Democrats are still working feverishly to ensure that every provision can pass muster with the Senate parliamentarian. Guidance has yet to be issued on a number of key proposals, including immigration provisions, as Republicans seek to challenge their inclusion under the rules. But Democrats have focused on Manchin, whose concerns have already prompted them to drop or modify several of the measure’s key components, including jettisoning anti-climate change provisions and dropping a federal paid and family medical leave benefit. Having pushed for a lower price tag, he also repeatedly raised concerns about how the package would affect inflation and the economy. “He has made some dramatic changes in this bill and its contents and its total,” Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat, told reporters earlier this week. “I’ve told him, ‘Joe, you’ve got your mark on this bill, now close the deal.’ I still feel that way.”

Democrats ready to punt social policy bill to 2022 as Manchin balks

Democrats met privately on Capitol Hill on Tuesday as they searched for an elusive compromise on a domestic policy and climate package, pressing to resolve crucial disagreements over health benefits, paid leave, environmental provisions and how to pay for the entire plan.

As Democrats seek to pacify key centrist holdouts balking at central pieces of the bill, party leaders are lobbying rank-and-file lawmakers, particularly liberals, to accept a measure that will be far smaller than an initial $3.5 trillion blueprint that passed Congress earlier this year. House Democrats huddled Tuesday morning to discuss the negotiations at their weekly caucus meeting, while Senate Democrats were expected to continue privately meeting throughout the day on climate and tax provisions.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California told Democrats they were on “the verge of something major,” according to two people familiar with her comments, who disclosed the private remarks on condition of anonymity. She called the legislation “transformative, historic and bigger than anything else.”

Leaving the caucus meeting, Pelosi said “there’s not that much more time — we have to have decisions largely today, a little bit into tomorrow, so we can proceed.” Asked about what was left on the negotiating table, she said, “I think it’s pretty self-evident.”

The caucus concluded shortly before 10:30 a.m. Pelosi and Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, were set to meet Tuesday afternoon as talks continue over the plan, according to an aide.

The White House and congressional leaders hope for a deal on the expansive plan this week, before President Joe Biden leaves Thursday for a trip that includes a United Nations climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, where he is expected to call for stronger international action to counter to the toll of climate change. His case could be bolstered by an agreement on a new social policy bill that includes strong new climate programs.

“It changes the lives of the American people,” Biden said of the proposed legislation during an appearance at a transit maintenance facility in Kearny, New Jersey, on Monday, where he promoted the plan’s payments to families with children and child care assistance. “So let’s get this done — let’s move.”

But with Republicans uniformly opposed to the bill, Democrats cannot afford to lose even a single vote in the evenly divided Senate, giving any senator outsized power to sink the plan over a single provision. That has further complicated the effort to muscle the bill through Congress using a special budget process known as reconciliation that shields it from a filibuster.

The emerging compromise could spend around $1.75 trillion over 10 years, though leading Democrats were trying to nudge Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, a key centrist, closer to $2 trillion. Manchin and other moderates have resisted significant pieces of the plan, including environmental provisions, health care expansions and tax increases designed to pay for the spending.

Manchin, in particular, has balked at multiple climate provisions, in part as a defense of his coal-heavy state. He has effectively jettisoned a proposed $150 billion program that would replace coal- and gas-fired power plants with wind and solar power, and is now pushing to remove or modify a provision that would impose a fee on emissions of methane, commonly produced in coal mining.

He is also facing pressure from his colleagues over his resistance to two key expansions of health care benefits and a new paid leave program. He has so far opposed a push, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, chair of the Budget Committee, to expand Medicare to include dental, vision and hearing benefits, citing the program’s financial instability.

And he has also expressed concerns about a push to cover a Medicaid expansion for the dozen states whose leaders have refused to expand the program under the Affordable Care Act. West Virginia is among the states that expanded Medicaid and pay 10% of the cost, and Manchin has said the proposal would in essence reward states for holding out.

The Senate Finance Committee is readying the details of a billionaires’ tax, an entirely new approach to taxing wealth, and other tax provisions that will help pay for the bill without increasing the corporate or individual tax rates. While House Democrats were expressing concerns about the details of the plan, which is largely being crafted by their Senate counterparts, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, a key holdout on the bill, has remained opposed to those rate increases.

Democrats met privately on Capitol Hill on Tuesday as they searched for an elusive compromise on a domestic policy and climate package, pressing to resolve crucial disagreements over health benefits, paid leave, environmental provisions and how to pay for the entire plan.

Democrats met privately on Capitol Hill on Tuesday as they searched for an elusive compromise on a domestic policy and climate package, pressing to resolve crucial disagreements over health benefits, paid leave, environmental provisions and how to pay for the entire plan. As Democrats seek to pacify key centrist holdouts balking at central pieces of the bill, party leaders are lobbying rank-and-file lawmakers, particularly liberals, to accept a measure that will be far smaller than an initial $3.5 trillion blueprint that passed Congress earlier this year. House Democrats huddled Tuesday morning to discuss the negotiations at their weekly caucus meeting, while Senate Democrats were expected to continue privately meeting throughout the day on climate and tax provisions. Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California told Democrats they were on “the verge of something major,” according to two people familiar with her comments, who disclosed the private remarks on condition of anonymity. She called the legislation “transformative, historic and bigger than anything else.” Leaving the caucus meeting, Pelosi said “there’s not that much more time — we have to have decisions largely today, a little bit into tomorrow, so we can proceed.” Asked about what was left on the negotiating table, she said, “I think it’s pretty self-evident.” The caucus concluded shortly before 10:30 a.m. Pelosi and Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, were set to meet Tuesday afternoon as talks continue over the plan, according to an aide. The White House and congressional leaders hope for a deal on the expansive plan this week, before President Joe Biden leaves Thursday for a trip that includes a United Nations climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, where he is expected to call for stronger international action to counter to the toll of climate change. His case could be bolstered by an agreement on a new social policy bill that includes strong new climate programs. “It changes the lives of the American people,” Biden said of the proposed legislation during an appearance at a transit maintenance facility in Kearny, New Jersey, on Monday, where he promoted the plan’s payments to families with children and child care assistance. “So let’s get this done — let’s move.” But with Republicans uniformly opposed to the bill, Democrats cannot afford to lose even a single vote in the evenly divided Senate, giving any senator outsized power to sink the plan over a single provision. That has further complicated the effort to muscle the bill through Congress using a special budget process known as reconciliation that shields it from a filibuster. The emerging compromise could spend around $1.75 trillion over 10 years, though leading Democrats were trying to nudge Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, a key centrist, closer to $2 trillion. Manchin and other moderates have resisted significant pieces of the plan, including environmental provisions, health care expansions and tax increases designed to pay for the spending. Manchin, in particular, has balked at multiple climate provisions, in part as a defense of his coal-heavy state. He has effectively jettisoned a proposed $150 billion program that would replace coal- and gas-fired power plants with wind and solar power, and is now pushing to remove or modify a provision that would impose a fee on emissions of methane, commonly produced in coal mining. He is also facing pressure from his colleagues over his resistance to two key expansions of health care benefits and a new paid leave program. He has so far opposed a push, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, chair of the Budget Committee, to expand Medicare to include dental, vision and hearing benefits, citing the program’s financial instability. And he has also expressed concerns about a push to cover a Medicaid expansion for the dozen states whose leaders have refused to expand the program under the Affordable Care Act. West Virginia is among the states that expanded Medicaid and pay 10% of the cost, and Manchin has said the proposal would in essence reward states for holding out. The Senate Finance Committee is readying the details of a billionaires’ tax, an entirely new approach to taxing wealth, and other tax provisions that will help pay for the bill without increasing the corporate or individual tax rates. While House Democrats were expressing concerns about the details of the plan, which is largely being crafted by their Senate counterparts, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, a key holdout on the bill, has remained opposed to those rate increases.

Democrats meet to discuss deal on social policy bill

President Joe Biden huddled with key Democrats on Sunday to iron out crucial spending and tax provisions as they raced to wrap up their expansive social safety net legislation before his appearance at a U.N. climate summit next week.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said Democrats were close to completing the bill, displaying confidence that the negotiations over issues like paid leave, tax increases and Medicare benefits that have bedeviled the party for months would soon end.

“We have 90% of the bill agreed to and written. We just have some of the last decisions to be made,” Pelosi said on CNN’s “State of the Union,” adding that she hoped to pass an infrastructure bill that had already cleared the Senate and have a deal in hand on the social policy bill by the end of the week. “We’re pretty much there now.”

Her comments came as Biden met with Sens. Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, one of the critical centrist holdouts on the budget bill. The White House called the breakfast at Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, a “productive discussion.”

For weeks, intraparty divisions over the scope and size of their marquee domestic policy plan have delayed an agreement on how to trim the initial $3.5 trillion blueprint Democrats passed this year. In order to bypass united Republican opposition and pass the final bill, Democrats are using an arcane budget process known as reconciliation, which shields fiscal legislation from a filibuster but would require every Senate Democrat to unite behind the plan in the evenly divided chamber. The party’s margins in the House are not much more forgiving.

Facing opposition over the $3.5 trillion price tag, White House and party leaders are coalescing around a cost of up to $2 trillion over 10 years. They have spent days negotiating primarily with Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., another centrist holdout.

House Democratic leaders hope to advance both a compromise reconciliation package and the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package. Liberals have so far balked at voting on the bipartisan deal until the more expansive domestic policy package — which is expected to address climate change, public education and health care — is agreed upon.

But Democrats are facing a new sense of urgency to finish the legislation before Biden’s trip to a major United Nations climate change conference, where he hopes to point to the bill as proof that the United States is serious about leading the effort to fight global warming.

“The president looked us in the eye, and he said: ‘I need this before I go and represent the United States in Glasgow. American prestige is on the line,’” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who met with Biden last week at the White House, said on "Fox News Sunday."

Democrats are also increasingly eager to deliver the bipartisan legislation to Biden’s desk before elections for governor in Virginia and New Jersey on Nov. 2, to show voters the party is making good on its promise to deliver sweeping social change. And a number of transportation programs will lapse at the end of the month without congressional action on either a stopgap extension or passage of the infrastructure bill, leading to possible furloughs.

The legislation is expected to include a one-year extension of payments to most families with children, first approved as part of the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief plan, as well as an increase in funds for Pell grants, support for home and elder care, and billions of dollars for affordable housing. It would also provide tax incentives to encourage use of wind, solar and other clean energy.

While aides cautioned that details were in flux, the plan is also expected to address a cap on how much taxpayers can deduct in state and local taxes, a key priority for Schumer and other lawmakers who represent higher-income residents of high-tax states affected by the limit.

Negotiators on Sunday were still haggling over a number of outstanding pieces, including the details of a federal paid and medical leave program — already cut to four weeks from 12 weeks — Medicaid expansion and a push to expand Medicare benefits to include dental, vision and hearing. With Manchin pushing for a $1.5 trillion price tag, Democratic officials are urging him to accept more spending in order to avoid dropping other programs.

Biden raised the prospect of an $800 voucher to help grant access to those benefits, but he said during a CNN town hall event Thursday that he believed Manchin and Sinema both had reservations about the program. Talks are also continuing with moderate Democrats in both chambers over a proposal that would help lower the cost of prescription drugs.

While Sinema has refused to embrace increasing either the corporate or individual tax rates, she has privately committed to enough proposals that would fully fund up to $2 trillion in spending. The details of those specific proposals, however, remain unclear.

Sinema and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have spoken repeatedly about a number of alternatives that would ensure that corporations and wealthy people pay more in taxes without addressing those rates, according to an aide, some of which Warren had initially proposed earlier this year.

Pelosi said Sunday that she expected Senate Democrats to unveil as soon as Monday a proposal that would raise hundreds of billions of dollars to pay for the bill with a wealth tax on American billionaires.

Liberals are also worried about the package’s ability to sufficiently address the toll of climate change, particularly after Biden publicly conceded that a $150 billion program to more quickly transition to clean energy would be altered because of fervent opposition from Manchin.

“Joe is open to my convincing him that I can use it to increase environmental progress without it being that particular deal,” Biden said during the CNN town hall.

“I know there will be disappointment as some of the threads in this social spending package get pulled out,” Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., said in a recent interview, adding that he had pressed Biden repeatedly on ensuring the strength of the package’s climate provisions. But, he added, “it’s just different on the climate side of this package — we will not have a second or third chance.”

President Joe Biden huddled with key Democrats on Sunday to iron out crucial spending and tax provisions as they raced to wrap up their expansive social safety net legislation before his appearance at a U.

President Joe Biden huddled with key Democrats on Sunday to iron out crucial spending and tax provisions as they raced to wrap up their expansive social safety net legislation before his appearance at a U.N. climate summit next week. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said Democrats were close to completing the bill, displaying confidence that the negotiations over issues like paid leave, tax increases and Medicare benefits that have bedeviled the party for months would soon end. “We have 90% of the bill agreed to and written. We just have some of the last decisions to be made,” Pelosi said on CNN’s “State of the Union,” adding that she hoped to pass an infrastructure bill that had already cleared the Senate and have a deal in hand on the social policy bill by the end of the week. “We’re pretty much there now.” Her comments came as Biden met with Sens. Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, one of the critical centrist holdouts on the budget bill. The White House called the breakfast at Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, a “productive discussion.” For weeks, intraparty divisions over the scope and size of their marquee domestic policy plan have delayed an agreement on how to trim the initial $3.5 trillion blueprint Democrats passed this year. In order to bypass united Republican opposition and pass the final bill, Democrats are using an arcane budget process known as reconciliation, which shields fiscal legislation from a filibuster but would require every Senate Democrat to unite behind the plan in the evenly divided chamber. The party’s margins in the House are not much more forgiving. Facing opposition over the $3.5 trillion price tag, White House and party leaders are coalescing around a cost of up to $2 trillion over 10 years. They have spent days negotiating primarily with Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., another centrist holdout. House Democratic leaders hope to advance both a compromise reconciliation package and the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package. Liberals have so far balked at voting on the bipartisan deal until the more expansive domestic policy package — which is expected to address climate change, public education and health care — is agreed upon. But Democrats are facing a new sense of urgency to finish the legislation before Biden’s trip to a major United Nations climate change conference, where he hopes to point to the bill as proof that the United States is serious about leading the effort to fight global warming. “The president looked us in the eye, and he said: ‘I need this before I go and represent the United States in Glasgow. American prestige is on the line,’” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who met with Biden last week at the White House, said on "Fox News Sunday." Democrats are also increasingly eager to deliver the bipartisan legislation to Biden’s desk before elections for governor in Virginia and New Jersey on Nov. 2, to show voters the party is making good on its promise to deliver sweeping social change. And a number of transportation programs will lapse at the end of the month without congressional action on either a stopgap extension or passage of the infrastructure bill, leading to possible furloughs. The legislation is expected to include a one-year extension of payments to most families with children, first approved as part of the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief plan, as well as an increase in funds for Pell grants, support for home and elder care, and billions of dollars for affordable housing. It would also provide tax incentives to encourage use of wind, solar and other clean energy. While aides cautioned that details were in flux, the plan is also expected to address a cap on how much taxpayers can deduct in state and local taxes, a key priority for Schumer and other lawmakers who represent higher-income residents of high-tax states affected by the limit. Negotiators on Sunday were still haggling over a number of outstanding pieces, including the details of a federal paid and medical leave program — already cut to four weeks from 12 weeks — Medicaid expansion and a push to expand Medicare benefits to include dental, vision and hearing. With Manchin pushing for a $1.5 trillion price tag, Democratic officials are urging him to accept more spending in order to avoid dropping other programs. Biden raised the prospect of an $800 voucher to help grant access to those benefits, but he said during a CNN town hall event Thursday that he believed Manchin and Sinema both had reservations about the program. Talks are also continuing with moderate Democrats in both chambers over a proposal that would help lower the cost of prescription drugs. While Sinema has refused to embrace increasing either the corporate or individual tax rates, she has privately committed to enough proposals that would fully fund up to $2 trillion in spending. The details of those specific proposals, however, remain unclear. Sinema and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have spoken repeatedly about a number of alternatives that would ensure that corporations and wealthy people pay more in taxes without addressing those rates, according to an aide, some of which Warren had initially proposed earlier this year. Pelosi said Sunday that she expected Senate Democrats to unveil as soon as Monday a proposal that would raise hundreds of billions of dollars to pay for the bill with a wealth tax on American billionaires. Liberals are also worried about the package’s ability to sufficiently address the toll of climate change, particularly after Biden publicly conceded that a $150 billion program to more quickly transition to clean energy would be altered because of fervent opposition from Manchin. “Joe is open to my convincing him that I can use it to increase environmental progress without it being that particular deal,” Biden said during the CNN town hall. “I know there will be disappointment as some of the threads in this social spending package get pulled out,” Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., said in a recent interview, adding that he had pressed Biden repeatedly on ensuring the strength of the package’s climate provisions. But, he added, “it’s just different on the climate side of this package — we will not have a second or third chance.”

Biden meets with Manchin and Schumer as Democrats race to finish social policy bill