Biden tells Democrats he thinks deal could be reached on package of up to $1.9 trillion

Rep. Pramila Jayapal and other House progressives.
(Image credit: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

During a private meeting on Tuesday, President Biden told several progressive House Democrats that he believes a deal can be reached on a social safety net bill if the package is between $1.75 and $1.9 trillion, four people with knowledge of the matter told The Washington Post.

The liberal and moderate members of the party have yet to agree on a package, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and others advocating for a $3.5 trillion plan, which centrists like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) say is too expensive and big in scope. The White House has calculated that a $1.9 trillion package could still cover major priorities like expanding Medicare, establishing universal pre-K, and fighting climate change, the Post reports.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.