Washington: Senate Democrats have given up on passing Vice President Joe Biden's social spending programme this year. According to local media, US Senate Democrats are abandoning efforts to approve President Joe Biden's USD2 trillion social spending and climate bill this year, handing the White House a political setback.
The delay risks deepening the intra-party rift on the measure, which many Democrats consider crucial moving into the 2022 midterm elections. Although House Democrats were able to approve their version of the plan last month, progressives and moderates have publicly disagreed on the size and scope of the package for months, according to the report.
The bill will need unanimous Democratic support in the Senate to pass, but Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a crucial moderate Democratic senator, has yet to express his entire support publicly. According to The Washington Post, days of secret conversations between Manchin and Biden have yielded no results, underscoring the deepening divide between the centrist legislator and those in his party.
For months, Manchin has expressed concern that the $2 trillion package will lead to higher inflation and debt. "Make no mistake, we need to get our fiscal house in order, and I'm dedicated to ensuring we don't spend beyond our means," Manchin said in a statement on Tuesday. According to the Labor Department, the US consumer price index (CPI) increased 6.8% from a year ago in November, the fastest annual rate in over 40 years.
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