A Democratic senator is holding out hope that President Biden's massive social spending bill could finally pass in the new year, adding that it may come down to breaking it up into smaller pieces that can gin up Republican support.
Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland said that Build Back Better is not yet dead in an interview on Fox News Sunday.
'We are prepared to move; we just need to make sure we have unanimity in our caucus and that's what we are working on and we will start on that next week when we return,' Cardin told host Mike Emanuel.
The bill seemed to stall after Sen. Joe Manchin - one of two Democratic holdouts keeping the bill from the necessary 50 votes in the Senate - said on the same show last week that he couldn't vote for it.
On Tuesday, Biden told reporters he still believed there was a 'possibility' of passing the bill and that he and Manchin would 'get something done.'
Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland held out hope for Build Back Better while on Fox News Sunday
His comments come after Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a key Democratic vote needed to pass the behemoth bill, said he couldn't suppport it last weekend
The wide-ranging Build Back Better plan is a signature part of Biden's agenda and COVID recovery plan.
The bill includes universal preschool, paid family leave, child nutrition assistance, clean energy measures and Medicare and Medicaid expansion, according to Politico.
On Sunday, Cardin maintained there's hope it could make it.
'There is unanimity in our caucus that we want to get a bill to the president, and we are working to see what that bill will contain. President Biden is directly involved in these negotiations,' he said.
He said further compromise may be necessary, and admitted that the behemoth bill may have to be butchered into smaller pieces.
The bill is a key part of President Joe Biden's agenda. Above, Biden in Washington, DC, on Christmas Eve
Sen. Cardin said Democrats are considering breaking the bill up. 'That's a strategy decision that's being negotiated. We are open to a way to reach the finish line,' he said
'That's a strategy decision that's being negotiated. We are open to a way to reach the finish line,' he said.
'We want to see it as comprehensive as possible, but we need to make sure we have the votes to pass it, so that means it will be different than some of us would like to see,' he added.
'I think we can reach that sweet spot. Look, a lot of us are gonna be disappointed, but we're not gonna let perfection be the enemy of getting something done.'
Biden's plan invests in public lands and local news reporters (by giving a tax credit to organizations that employ them), provides 12 months of Medicaid coverage to new moms, and makes permanent the child tax credit signed into law in March.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the legislation would increase the deficit by $367 billion over the next 10 years, but the White House likes to say it will be fully paid for when accounting for a proposal to enhance tax enforcement, which the CBO excluded
