Sen. Kyrsten Sinema said Thursday that she will “move forward” with the Democrats’ tax and social spending bill, after earlier pushing back against the deal reached by Sen. Joe Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. “We agreed to repeal the carried interest tax provision, protect advanced manufacturing and strengthen the clean energy economy in the Senate budget agreement legislation,” said Sinema, D-Ariz. “Subject to the MP’s criticism, I will proceed.” Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., said in a statement Thursday that she would “move forward” with the Democrats’ reconciliation bill. (REUTERS/Caitlin O’Hara) MANCHIN CLAIMS DEMOCRAT SOCIAL SPENDING AND TAX BILL FILLED WITH GOP PRIORITIES Sinema was widely seen as the last senator Democrats needed to pass the climate, energy, health care and tax plan, which, if it becomes law, would cap a year of intra-party negotiations. With her support, Schumer said he expects all 50 Democrats to vote in favor of the measure. “I am pleased to report that we have reached an agreement on the Inflation Reduction Act that I believe will receive the support of the entire Senate Democratic conference,” Schumer said. “The final version of the Reconciliation bill, to be introduced on Saturday, will reflect that work and bring us one step closer to enactment of this historic legislation.” Sen. Joe Manchin, DW.Va., calls a reporter during a press conference on the Democratic reconciliation bill. (Tyler Olson/Fox News) MANCHIN DISPUTES FIGURES SHOWING SOCIAL SPENDING BILL WOULD RAISE MIDDLE CLASS TAXES DURING RECESS Democrats plan to pass the legislation using a process called budget reconciliation, which allows them to bypass the Senate’s 60-vote threshold to pass legislation along party lines. Manchin killed earlier reconciliation efforts last year, at the time called “Build Back Better,” which were far more expansive than the bill he proposed with Schumer last week. Schumer announced Thursday that the Senate will reconvene Saturday afternoon with a vote plan to begin debate on the bill. If all 50 Senate Democrats support the bill and remain healthy and able to vote, it could pass despite strong GOP opposition. Vice President Harris could break ties with a 50-50 vote. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., scored a major victory Thursday when Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., said she would “move forward” with the Democrats’ reconciliation bill. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) The biggest issue Republicans say they see with the bill is the tax hikes, the burden of which the Joint Committee on Taxation will indirectly fall on Americans in nearly every tax bracket. The hikes will also hit manufacturing businesses hard, Republicans say, after the Senate passed a bill to boost American manufacturing. The legislation is expected to spend a total of $433 billion and raise $739 billion in tax revenue. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The people who work for these companies and remember that half will go to the manufacturers, they will see their wages and benefits cut because of this tax at a time when they are having a very hard time keeping up with current inflation,” the senator said. Rob Portman, R-Ohio. Another hurdle for Democrats awaiting the results is a review by Senate Rep. Elizabeth MacDonough, who is currently considering legislation to comply with the Byrd rule. This rule says that the provisions of the reconciliation bill must generally relate to taxes and government spending and cannot be mere policy prescriptions. However, the results of her review are not expected to doom the bill. After Democrats vote to begin considering the bill, they’ll also have to overcome a “vote-a-rama,” when senators are allowed to propose unlimited amendments to the legislation. This usually results in dozens of amendments in a marathon session that can last the better part of a day. But if Democrats stay united, they are in control of whether the bill passes, despite any GOP efforts. Tyler Olson covers politics for Fox News Digital. He can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @TylerOlson1791.
