Key Democrats Hold Back on Budget Deal Until Details Offered
- Democrats need united front to pass $3.5 trillion package
- Manchin, Tester say programs in measure must be paid for
Senator Joe Manchin at the U.S. Capitol.
Photographer: Stefani Reynolds/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Jon Tester said Wednesday that they are not yet on board with the $3.5 trillion tax and spending deal that Budget Committee Democrats reached late Tuesday night, leaving the fate of the measure uncertain in the evenly divided Senate.
Manchin, whose home state of West Virginia overwhelmingly backed Donald Trump in the last two presidential elections, said he’s “open” to reviewing the deal once more details are available. Tester, also from a heavily Republican state, called the package “a lot of money.”