Democrats try to reach budget spending deal

The House waited for word on whether it would vote on a bipartisan infrastructure bill Friday as Democrats tried to forge a consensus on a broader spending deal.

As his legislative priorities hung in the balance, President Joe Biden planned to go to the Capitol on Friday afternoon to meet with House Democrats and rally support for his economic agenda.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had told centrist Democrats the chamber would pass the infrastructure plan by Thursday. Democratic leaders pushed the vote until Friday at the earliest, as progressives threatened to sink the bill until they get assurances the Senate will approve a broader plan to invest in party priorities including climate policy, household tax credits and health-care expansion.

Democrats cited progress after a flurry of talks among White House officials and key members of Congress bled into early Friday morning. Pelosi suggested the infrastructure bill could pass Friday even as the progressive and centrist flanks of her party stood trillions of dollars apart on a desired price tag for the second spending package.

“We are on a path,” the speaker told reporters when asked if the legislation would pass Friday.

The House was in recess on Friday morning as Democrats scrambled to strike a deal that would allow them to hold a vote. The Democratic caucus huddled to discuss its strategy ahead of Biden’s visit.

The talks hold enormous stakes for the government benefits millions of Americans will receive in the coming years. Through their spending package, Biden and top Democrats aim to boost access to child care, paid leave, pre-K and community college. They hope to speed up green energy adoption and lower the Medicare eligibility age, while expanding coverage to include dental, vision and hearing benefits.

The proposal would mean changes for corporations and the wealthiest Americans in the form of tax hikes to offset the new spending. Democrats have floated a 26.5% top corporate tax rate and 39.6% high individual rate — both levels below or in line with those set before the 2017 GOP tax cuts.

But some of what Democratic leaders bill as a transformative plan in the mold of the New Deal could fall to the wayside as they try to win support from centrist holdouts, Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., will need both of their votes to push a bill through without Republicans in a chamber split 50-50 by party.

Manchin has set a $1.5 trillion asking price for the plan — less than half of the $3.5 trillion investment his party set out to pass. It is unclear now where the sides can find a compromise or what they would cut from the proposal.

Sinema left Washington on Friday as efforts to strike a deal continued, NBC News reported. She…