Biden to meet Manchin and Sinema on party line mega-bill

President Joe Biden is set to meet with the Democrats’ two most prominent opponents of their sweeping social spending program: Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema.

The president will welcome Sinema on Wednesday morning then Manchin on Wednesday evening, according to sources close to the meeting. The two centrist senators are resisting other Democrats’ goal of spending up to $ 3.5 trillion on social programs, climate action and expanding the safety net.

Biden’s decision shows he is heading straight to referee what has become a messy fight within the Democratic caucus. At a lunch Tuesday, Manchin reiterated his hopes of putting the spending program on hold, according to a participant, a statement that encountered crickets.