(NewsNation Now) — Lawmakers in Washington are just days away from taking a winter break as Democrats ramp up talks to meet a self-imposed deadline to pass President Joe Biden’s spending bill.
The clock is ticking if Democrats really want to get this done and passed by Christmas.
Monday night, Biden spoke with Sen. Joe Manchin in an effort to lock down the West Virginia Democrat, who has once again become a key holdout when it comes to passing bills on the president’s legislative agenda.
Some Democrats are frustrated, but Manchin has been very clear about what he doesn’t like about the bill: It’s the overall cost of the package. It’s what he thinks may happen with inflation. But Manchin hasn’t been as clear about what could be done to remedy the bill so that he would then be on board.
“But whatever we’re considering going or whatever Congress is considering doing, they should do it within the limits of what we can afford,” Manchin said.
Manchin believes that the $1.7 trillion total is actually much higher because there are some provisions in the bill that expire after two or three years. And he believes that Democrats are going to extend them beyond that, which would make the overall cost higher.
Manchin did talk to reporters Monday, saying that he is still engaging with his party, as negotiations continue.