Manchin Is in the Middle, With Biden’s Agenda in the Balance

WASHINGTON — Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia had meal with President Biden astatine his location successful Wilmington connected Sunday, hashing retired concerns astir the expansive home argumentation measure taking signifier successful Congress.

The legislator was backmost astatine the Capitol connected Monday, wherever his chap Democrats peppered him with each mode of entreaties. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York wanted his backing for a national paid permission connection that helium has resisted. A radical of Democrats implored him to driblet his absorption to a interest connected methane emissions. Both Democratic senators from Georgia wished helium would instrumentality different look astatine a Medicaid enlargement connection that would assistance their states.

By Tuesday evening, Mr. Manchin was huddling successful the basement with Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the president of the Budget Committee, whose connection to grow Medicare helium has panned.

As Democrats propulsion for a compromise connected their marquee home priority, Mr. Manchin, the astir outspoken holdout connected the program and a important plaything vote, has go the people of aggravated idiosyncratic lobbying by his colleagues. In backstage meetings, huddles connected the Senate level and telephone calls, helium has faced renewed unit to wantonness his opposition.

“My dada ever said, ‘If you tin accidental nary with a teardrop successful your eye, you mightiness beryllium OK,’ and I’ve been crying a batch lately,” Mr. Manchin said astatine an lawsuit connected Tuesday with the Economic Club of Washington, adding that determination was “nothing amusive about” his position.

In an evenly divided Senate, the destiny of Mr. Biden’s home docket could hinge connected immoderate 1 Democratic legislator consenting to withhold his oregon her vote. And portion Mr. Manchin is not the lone centrist who has raised concerns, his lengthy measure of particulars against the authorities has made him a fashionable people for lawmakers pressing to salvage cardinal provisions of the rapidly shrinking plan.

For Senate Democrats, it is possibly the astir time-tested signifier of negotiations: the courtship of a lawmaker who holds a important plaything vote. Despite his protestations, Mr. Manchin seems to relish the role, adjacent arsenic helium waves disconnected questions astir details of the talks and rumors that helium mightiness soon permission the Democratic Party.

“Do you deliberation by having a D oregon an I oregon an R is going to alteration who I am?” helium said connected Tuesday. “I don’t deliberation the R’s would beryllium immoderate much happier with maine than D’s are close now.”

“I don’t cognize wherever successful the hellhole I belong,” helium added, drafting laughter from the audience.

In caller days, the legislator has publically objected to large components of the bill, including the expansions of Medicare and Medicaid, the national paid permission program, 2 large climate provisions and a connection to empower the I.R.S. to get information for customers’ slope accounts arsenic portion of an effort to ace down connected unpaid taxes and rise gross to wage for the package.

Mr. Manchin, whose request that the wide bundle not transcend $1.5 trillion has driven a frenzied effort to chopped the outgo of the bill, has maintained that helium is keeping an unfastened caput retired of fairness to Mr. Biden and Democratic leaders.

But helium has proved unyielding connected galore of progressives’ astir cherished priorities, specified arsenic Mr. Sanders’s thrust to adhd vision, proceeding and dental benefits to Medicare.

“Bernie and I person met the past 3 days for astatine slightest an hr a day, getting to cognize each different otherwise than we ever did before,” Mr. Manchin said helium had told Mr. Biden connected Sunday. “He has my respect. I cognize who helium is, and wherever he’s coming from. I conscionable respectfully disagree.”

That absorption has not stopped Democrats from trying to sway him. These days, Mr. Manchin tin usually beryllium recovered huddled with colleagues who are seeking his enactment — oregon to alteration his caput — connected a constituent of the societal argumentation bill. On Monday evening, it was Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the bulk leader, on with Senators Thomas R. Carper of Delaware, Maria Cantwell of Washington, Ron Wyden of Oregon and different clime hawks seeking to salvage a interest connected methane emissions and different spending to which Mr. Manchin had objected.

Where the Budget Bill Stands successful Congress

Representative Richard E. Neal of Massachusetts, the president of the Ways and Means Committee, said helium had sought a gathering with Mr. Manchin to sermon however to summation taxes to wage for the plan. He reminded reporters that the 2 had worked unneurotic connected pension legislation.

After his breakfast with Mr. Biden and Mr. Schumer, Mr. Manchin fielded a telephone from Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, the No. 3 House Democrat, who urged him to enactment a connection to screen the outgo of expanding Medicaid successful states that had not done truthful nether the Affordable Care Act. Mr. Manchin has said it would beryllium unfair for the national authorities to screen those costs for immoderate states, erstwhile others similar West Virginia person expanded their Medicaid programs and received lone a 90 percent subsidy.

Democrats person bully crushed to tribunal Mr. Manchin’s support. They retrieve however hard it was to triumph his ballot connected the $1.9 trillion pandemic assistance program enacted this year, including his last-minute effort to slash the size of the unemployment benefits included successful the measure. (While Mr. Manchin yet voted yes aft winning the concessions helium sought, the grueling negotiations led to the longest unfastened Senate ballot successful modern history.)

But the occurrence besides proved that helium could beryllium swayed — albeit not arsenic acold arsenic his wide colleagues would similar — offering negotiators a glimmer of hope.

“Joe is not a atrocious feline — he’s a friend,” Mr. Biden said, speaking during a CNN municipality hallway past week. “And he’s always, astatine the extremity of the day, travel astir and voted for it.”

Some Democrats person said they admit Mr. Manchin’s willingness to rotation up his sleeves and negotiate. Senator Kyrsten Sinema, Democrat of Arizona and different holdout connected the legislation, has preferred to support her preferences confined to backstage talks with the White House and a constricted ellipse of colleagues.

“He doesn’t negociate successful public,” said Representative Henry Cuellar, Democrat of Texas, adding that helium had besides spoken with Mr. Manchin recently. “But helium gives wherever helium stands.”

Catie Edmondson contributed reporting.