Dems reach drug price deal; Biden upbeat on Manchin
Democrats WASHINGTON — reached agreement Tuesday on a plan to lower prescription drug costs for older people, capping out-of-pocket Medicare costs at $2,000 and reducing the price of insulin, salvaging a campaign promise as part of President Joe Biden’s $1.75 trillion domestic policy proposal.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the deal, which is one of the few remaining provisions that needed to be resolved in Biden’s big package as the party moves closer to wrapping up negotiations. He acknowledged it’s not as sweeping as Democrats had hoped for, but a compromise struck with one key hold- out Democrat, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.
And Biden sounded upbeat about winning overall backing from another holdout, Demo- cratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who threw the pres- ident’s plan in flux this week by refusing to endorse it.
“He will vote for this,” Biden said of Manchin during remarks at a global climate summit in Scotland.
Biden said without divulg- ing their private conversa- tions, the senator was looking for the fine print details of the legislation. “But I think we’ll get there,” the president said.
Democrats are rushing to overcome party battles and finish a final draft of Biden’s plan. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said privately she expects to wrap final draft by midday today and pave the way for voting as soon as Thursday on the overall package, according to her remarks at a closeddoor caucus meeting. But no votes have been scheduled.
The stakes are stark as Democrats are warily watching governors’ races Tuesday in two states — Virginia and New Jersey — that are seen as bellwethers in the political mood of the electorate. Democrats are struggling to hold states that recently favored the party from Republicans.
Blame is pointing all around as negotiations over Biden’s ambitious package have dragged on, with Democrats unable to mount the support to pass the bill. Progressive and centrist lawmakers, particularly Manchin and Sinema, have fought over details of the sprawling 1,600-page package.