Manchin and Sinema detail key disagreements over Biden agenda

The two leading Democratic moderates made clear to their colleagues this week that a deal on the party's sweeping economic package is far from secured, raising new questions about the fate of President Joe Biden's first-term agenda, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Among the red flags: Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona told lawmakers on a call that she would be hesitant to endorse a final deal on the social safety net plan until the House first passes the Senate's $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. Sinema indicated there had been a "breach in trust" following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's decision to punt a vote on the infrastructure bill earlier this month after she had assured moderates her chamber would hold a final vote on the measure, one of the sources said.

But Pelosi and Biden were forced to reverse course and shelve the infrastructure plan after progressives refused to provide the necessary votes as they demanded Sinema and West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin join with the rest of the Senate Democratic Caucus to push through the party's larger social safety net and climate package first.