In an attempt to revive their stalled domestic agenda just in time for the midterms, Democrats hope to rebrand President Joe Biden's signature $1.7 trillion spending bill "Build Back Better" as a pathway to reducing inflation, Politico reported on Tuesday.
Party members figure that will help them keep their majority in Congress.
The idea would be to cut a deal with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who rejected the spending bill in December, and sell the legislation as a cost-cutting measure to give the party's most vulnerable incumbents a potent message to help keep their seats and the Democratic majority in the Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., appeared to jump-start the process on Monday by offering hearings on a plan to lower prescription drug costs that could be the centerpiece of the pitch, with momentum expected to continue this week in House and Senate Democrat retreats, where the party's cost-cutting agenda likely will be a major focus.
Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., who faces a difficult reelection battle this November, told Politico that "what's critically important for us is to come to an agreement quickly. The good news is there is a lot of potential here to pass something that is extremely popular with the American people," adding that "this gives us another chance."
Manchin is floating a package that would cut the deficit, reduce prescription drug costs, put some money into combating climate change and reform the tax code.
"It is worth continuing to figure out how we work together to really focus on how we lower these costs for families and individuals right now," Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., also working on a package, told Politico, adding that her plan would include some pieces of the Build Back Better bill that made sense.
However, Democrats trying to cobble together such a spending bill have to contend with some progressives who are seeking a broader package that spends additional trillions of dollars.
Democrats realize that time is running out for passage of the legislation by the election, with congressional primaries already taking place and the midterms less than eight months away.
Although Democrats have touted their pandemic aid legislation and the bipartisan infrastructure bill that were passed last year, they also increasingly sense that their party needs to clinch another signature piece of legislation to convince voters of their effective governance.