Barriers to House Democrats accepting a Senate-drafted climate, tax and health care package appear to be melting away, but they’re still processing a shrunken bill that lacks their top priorities.
After a year of fragile negotiations, Democrats have Sen. Joe Manchin III’s support for a budget reconciliation bill that includes major pieces of the party’s agenda like clean energy incentives, provisions to lower drug costs and IRS funding. But it lacks relief from a state and local tax deduction limit and the Medicaid coverage gap, as well as immigration provisions and other measures House members demanded be part of the package.
The House is planning to return the second week of August to take up the package, assuming the Senate has sent it over by then, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said at her weekly news conference Friday. The California Democrat was confident her caucus will rally behind the measure, even though it does not include all the priorities they sought.
