Manchin sees deal on Biden agenda this week, resists Medicare expansion
CNN
Sen. Joe Manchin, who for months has called for a pause in talks over President Joe Biden's social safety net package, on Monday offered his most optimistic assessment yet that a deal could be reached imminently -- as soon as this week.
But Manchin, whose vote is essential to passing the Biden agenda, indicated he still has concerns over an expansion of Medicare and new paid leave policies and wants the price tag to stay at $1.5 trillion, far short of what many liberals are demanding.
Manchin may have the final say as Biden and Democratic leaders have moved dramatically in his direction to win over both the West Virginia Democrat and another key moderate, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, as both have threatened to defect and effectively derail the agenda.
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Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump’s pick to lead the intelligence community, was briefly placed on a Transportation Security Administration list that prompts additional security screening before flights after her overseas travel patterns and foreign connections triggered a government algorithm earlier this year, three sources familiar with the matter told CNN.