DEMS NEAR A DEAL

Prez signals hope

President Biden on Monday said he hopes to have a deal on his massive social spending plan before he heads to Europe this week — as Democrats eye a new “wealth tax” on billionaires to salvage the package.

Biden gave the upbeat prognosis en route to New Jersey after a Sunday breakfast at his home in Wilmington, Del., with crucial swing vote Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

Biden said his talk with Manchin “went well” and there are “a few more things to work out,” but that he wants to reach a deal before he departs for Rome to particip ate in G-20 meetings and meet Pope Francis.

“It would be very, very positive to get it done before the trip,” Biden told reporters under the wing of Air Force One.

A reporter asked Biden, “Do you think you’ll have a plan before Wednesday?”

The president said, “With the grace of God and the goodwill of the neighbors.”

When asked by a reporter if there would be a deal before Biden leaves Rome for his second European stop — in Glasgow, Scotland, on Nov. 1 — Biden said, “Yes.”

Later Monday, Manchin, too, said he believes there could be a “conceptual” framework for the legislation this week — but added, “I’m still at $1.5 [trillion] guys,” meaning less than half of Biden’s initial $3.5 trillion request.

“Having it finished with all the t’s and the i’s and everything, you know, crossed and dotted — that will be difficult from the Senate side because we have an awful lot of text to go through, but as far as conceptually we should [be able to reach agreement],” Manchin told reporters.

It’s unclear what strategic considerations are behind the Jersey trip — though one North Jersey congressman, Josh Gottheimer, could be a crucial Democratic vote for Biden to retain in the House.

A person who insisted on anonymity to discuss Manchin’s position told the Associated Press the senator is

agreeable to the White House’s new approach on the tax proposals. A second

AP source said the topline is now around $1.75 trillion, closer to where Manchin’s has been.

The new proposed wealth tax, which reportedly would tax the unrealized capital gains of billionaires, would give a new revenue stream for the legislation after Biden admitted last week that tax

hikes were probably dead.