Democrats Wrestle With Where to Cut Wish List to Satisfy Joe Manchin
- Manchin outlined demands on Biden plan’s size and scope
- Benefit programs more at risk of cuts than tax increases
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President Joe Biden’s economic agenda now hinges on whether Democrats can make enough changes to satisfy moderate Joe Manchin, a pivotal vote in the Senate whose objections Sunday ground the roughly $2 trillion plan to a halt.
The administration and its allies in Congress will look for programs to cut or significantly revise in the tax and social-spending plan, known as “Build Back Better,” that carries the bulk of Biden’s priorities on climate change, health-care costs and child-rearing expenses.