Rep. Jayapal Wants Negotiations With Manchin and Sinema to Progress Faster: ‘They’re Just 2 Senators and 96% of Democrats’ in Congress Agree

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) said Thursday that she believes Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) are negotiating the price tag of Democrats’ $3.5 trillion spending bill “in largely good faith,” but the talks are not moving fast enough.

“Well look, 96% of us Democrats in the House and Senate and the president, and 70% of the American people all agreed on the $3.5 trillion Build Back Better Act,” Jayapal told CBS News. “Unfortunately, that is not sufficient, given our very slim majority.”

Jayapal, the Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said they have to get Manchin and Simena “onboard,” before noting that “they have been negotiating in largely good faith.”

“I would like that to be more quick,” Jayapal continued. “I would like them to recognize that they’re just two senators and 96% of Democrats in the House and Senate and the president agree with the American people. So I hope that we don’t have to come down too much, but I understand that this has got to be a negotiation, we got to get everybody on board and I think we’re getting there.”

Manchin has previously stated that his top line for the spending bill is $1.5 trillion. Sinema has not publicly stated a figure she would accept, but has reiterated that she does not support a bill with that high of a price tag.

“Senator Sinema said publicly more than two months ago, before Senate passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill, that she would not support a bill costing $3.5 trillion,” a Sinema spokesperson said in a statement. It added, “While we do not negotiate through the press – because Senator Sinema respects the integrity of those direct negotiations – she continues to engage directly in good-faith discussions with both President Biden and Senator Schumer to find common ground.”

In the Thursday interview, Jayapal indicated that she is less concerned about the price tag attached to the bill, and more concerned with what programs are funded by the bill itself.

“You could have a higher number but none of our programs contained in there, which would not be acceptable to us,” she said. “Or you could have a slightly lower number but has all of our programs in there but perhaps funded for a shorter number of years.”

“And I believe the president also likes that idea because he knows we can’t pit child care against pre-K,” she continued. “We can’t pit pre-K against climate change. We can’t pit housing against immigration. So all of these priorities need to be in there, and I think we’re kind of coalescing around that.”

Watch above, via CBS

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