News / Politics

Democrats at odds over Biden's $1.75 trillion social spending bill

Thursday, 16 December 2021 1:33 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 16 December 2021 1:33 AM ]

US President Joe Biden smiles after signing an executive order intended to reduce bureaucracy around government services for the public, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, US, December 13, 2021.

US Senate Democrats were struggling on Wednesday to find a path forward on President Joe Biden's $1.75 trillion domestic investment bill, with moderate Joe Manchin objecting to parts of the program, a person familiar with their negotiations said.

Having averted a government shutdown and potential default this month, Senate Democrats hoped to pass the sweeping "Build Back Better" bill before Christmas. But the source said Biden and Manchin remain "far apart," with Manchin objecting to an expanded child tax credit that other Democrats want in the program.

Manchin angrily denied that he was opposed to the child tax credit. "I've always been for child tax credits. We voted for it many times," he told reporters in the Capitol.

Asked if he supported maintaining the credit in its current form, Manchin erupted: "I'm not negotiating with any of you. This is bullshit."

Earlier, Biden acknowledged it was not clear if the legislation could pass before the end of the year.

"It's going to be close," Biden said.

With no votes to spare in passing the "Build Back Better" initiative amid solid Republican opposition, Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer faces his biggest challenge since becoming majority leader in January. He is feeling the heat from all sides.

Several Democratic senators panned the idea of removing the highly popular credit from the bill.

"It would be a terrible injustice to a lot of deserving children," Senator Dick Durbin told reporters, while Senator Bernie Sanders called it "a disaster for working families."

Some moderate Democratic senators saw no urgency in Schumer's Christmas deadline but such flexibility infuriates liberals, who already swallowed a raft of compromises. They were promised quick action if they helped pass a separate $1 trillion bipartisan road and bridge-building infrastructure bill, which they did.

Schumer's predicament is similar to that faced by Democrats over a decade ago under former President Barack Obama. Without Republican support, they struggled to enact the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, which promised to make health insurance affordable to millions of Americans.

It finally passed in an election year and became the landmark achievement of Obama's presidency.

Some political observers think Biden can afford to wait until early next year, maybe into February, to secure a victory. After that, lawmakers' attention will turn almost exclusively to the Nov. 8 congressional elections.

Source: Reuters

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