Senate Democrats hopeful they'll wrap up Biden agenda negotiations 'this week'

Did you hear that? That may have been the sound of Capitol Hill breathing a huge sigh of relief.
According to multiple Senate Democrats — including Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — a deal on President Biden's Build Back Better agenda could be reached "by week's end," The Hill reports, according to sources familiar with sentiments expressed at a caucus lunch. Reuters has also shared news of an impending deal.
"Universally there was a desire to get this done by the end of this week," said one Democratic senator who attended the Tuesday meeting. Another source added that there was support from "left to right" that an agreement be reached ASAP.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Manchin told his colleagues he will work with Sanders, chair of the Senate budget committee, and Schumer directly. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), however, was reportedly not present at the meeting, so it's somewhat "unclear if there's urgency from all 50 to clinch something this week," writes Politico's Burgess Everett.
And that last mile likely won't be easy either. Said Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.): "It'll be a heavy lift."
Still, there's a "consensus that we need to resolve our differences by the end of the week," added Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), per HuffPost's Igor Bobic. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) shared similar sentiments to Blumenthal, although she seems to think agreement is slightly further away.
"We had a very spirited discussion at our lunch," Schumer later said. "Passionate, strong and there was universal, universal agreement in that room that we have to come to an agreement and we got to get it done and want to get it done this week."
He added, "The desire to get it done is strong." Read more at The Hill.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Sail in style onboard the brand-new Explora II
The Week Recommends Hit the high seas on a luxury cruise from Barcelona to Rome
-
Is the EU funding Russia more than Ukraine?
The Explainer EU remains largest importer of Russian fossil fuels despite sanctions aimed at crippling Kremlin's war effort
-
Posh crisps: an 'elite' tier of snacking
The Week Recommends Hand-cooked and dusted in 'decadent' flavours, the humble potato chip is being elevated to new levels
-
The Biden cover-up: a 'near-treasonous' conspiracy
Talking Point Using 'Trumpian' tactics, the former president's inner circle maintained a conspiracy of silence around his cognitive and physical decline
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media