Congressional Democrats signaled Wednesday they would ditch plans for paid family and medical leave in an effort to secure an elusive deal to push through a massive spending bill.
It marked the latest attempt to bridge the divide between liberals and moderates but would come at the cost of one of President Biden's key campaign pledges.
During another day of frenetic activity, the two moderate holdouts, Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, met with Biden aides on Capitol Hill before saying they were confident of 'progress.'
Three sources familiar with discussions told Politico that Senate Democrats were dropping paid family and medical leave from the reconciliation bill.
The White House is pressing Democrats to come together around a set of plans with a $1.75 trillion price tag before the end of the week, a move that would also unlock the president's stalled $1 trillion infrastructure bill.
Discussions on Wednesday centered both on how to trim the cost of the bill and how to generate funding.
Biden is due to fly to Rome, Italy, on Thursday to attend a G20 summit followed by a climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, but is keen to be able to tout progress on his domestic agenda before a tight gubernatorial election in Virginia on Tuesday.
Earlier White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden supported a Senate Democratic plan to tax billionaires – although she stopped short of saying whether the major revenue-raiser would even be in a final reconciliation bill.
Psaki made the decision shortly before a report that House Ways and Means Chairman Rep. Richard Neal said negotiators had dropped the idea. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden chimed in with his own view: 'Last time I looked, the United States Senate has a say, too. We’re continuing to work with members,' he said, Business Insider reported.
She also vouched for the legality of the proposal for the government to get at the vast fortunes amassed by about 700 people – whose wealth resides in huge stock holdings they have sometimes held for decades.
President Joe Biden supports a Senate Democratic plan to tax billionaires, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday – although it was unclear if it is part of a Build Back Better package being negotiated
'We're not
