Biden Pitches New Spending Framework to Senate Dems

On Thursday, President Joe Biden met privately with House Democrats to outline the specifics of his Build Back Better economic agenda and to sell his scaled-back spending plan to resistant progressives.

An agreement on a bill priced between $1.75 and $1.9 trillion, down from the original $3.5 trillion figure, would represent a victory for centrist Democrats who pushed back on climate spending, tax hikes and other programs. Since the plan only needs 50 Senate votes to pass using the budget reconciliation process, votes from moderates such as Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Az.) have been especially key to its creation. "I need you to help me. I need your votes," Biden reportedly said in the private meeting; he's also expected to deliver a speech to the American people about the new framework of his spending plans before leaving Thursday for the international Group of 20 summit in Rome.

The news was covered prominently across the spectrum. Some analysis from left-rated outlets framed moderate Democrats who opposed the larger spending plan in a negative light. Coverage from right-rated outlets often painted Biden as desperate to achieve his priorities in the face of intraparty strife. Updated 10/28/21 at 11:30 a.m. ET with more detail about the spending plan and media coverage of it.