This week, Axios reported that Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have revived their discussions about a reconciliation package. In December of last year, these discussions about the Build Back Better package ground to a halt when Senator Manchin announced that he could not support the legislation that was proposed.
While Build Back Better included a wide array of human infrastructure proposals, Senators Schumer and Manchin are now discussing a slimmed down version that focuses on addressing climate change and deficit reduction.
It’s unclear if other proposals – such as the Child Tax Credit, paid family leave, or the new child care proposal – could still be included in this new package. The reconciliation process only requires a simple majority of 50 votes to pass, but that means that every Democratic Senator will need to be on board with the final proposal.
