Cuts to big bill vex Democrats

President Biden’s signature piece of domestic legislation is going to be much smaller than initially envisioned — and that’s vexing Democrats who worry that vital proposals will be whittled down or erased entirely.

The final bill is likely to come in at around half the original $3.5 trillion projected, according to multiple reports. The huge sum being cleaved off the top line means that some cherished progressive priorities are sure to fall by the wayside.

Progressives have run into the unyielding math of the Senate, where two more-conservative Democrats, Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), hold enormous leverage.

Manchin’s opposition has been enough to rebuff a key measure aimed at combating climate change. The measure would have rewarded electricity plants that use clean energy and punished those that stick with fossil fuels. But Manchin, personally and politically linked to the coal industry, is adamant he won’t accept such a move.