Another Democrat gets COVID, throws wrench in Manchin deal: Dick Durbin, 77, tests positive as party tries to ram through package before summer recess
- Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin said Thursday he tested positive for COVID-19
- That could derail Democrats’ plan to pass the 2022 anti-inflation bill before the summer recess
- Durbin said in a tweet that he “has only minor symptoms” and will “continue to work remotely.”
- Durbin follows Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin and Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski in positive COVID diagnoses this week
- The upper chamber is attempting to pass a number of bills before the traditional August recess
- Every Democratic vote is needed to get Manchin’s compromise legislation through the line, and the Senate does not allow remote voting
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin said Thursday he tested positive for COVID-19, which could throw into question Democrats’ plan to pass the 2022 anti-inflation bill before the summer recess.
“This morning I tested positive for COVID-19. Luckily I am fully vaccinated and double boosted and have only minor symptoms,” Durbin, 77, tweeted. “In accordance with CDC guidelines, I will self-quarantine and follow my doctor’s orders while continuing to work remotely.”
Durbin follows Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin and Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski in positive COVID diagnoses this week.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin said Thursday he tested positive for COVID-19, which could throw into question Democrats’ plan to pass the 2022 anti-inflation bill before the summer recess
“This morning I tested positive for COVID-19. Luckily I am fully vaccinated and double boosted and have only minor symptoms,” Durbin, 77, tweeted
Sen. Joe Manchin, who also had COVID this week, struck a deal with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on a reconciliation package that Schumer wants voted through next week before the August recess
Deal details
Senator Manchin and Schumer’s new bill would generate $739 billion in new revenue through a variety of proposals:
$313 billion by introducing a 15 percent minimum corporate tax
$288 billion from Medicare’s authorization to negotiate lower drug prices
$124 billion from strict tax enforcement by the IRS
$14 billion to close the carry interest loophole for asset managers
It also includes $433 billion in new spending:
$369 billion for energy security and climate change
$64 billion to expand health care subsidies for the Affordable Care Act
That would leave $300 billion to reduce the deficit
The upper chamber is trying to pass a series of bills ahead of the traditional August recess – due to start next week – but every Democratic vote is needed to get Manchin’s compromise legislation moving.
On Wednesday, the West Virginia Democrat surprised Washington by announcing, along with Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, that they had agreed on a reconciliation bill.
The reconciliation process allows Democrats to bypass a Republican-led filibuster and pass legislation with just a simple majority.
No longer dubbed “Build Back Better,” the 2022 Anti-Inflation Act includes both green energy and health regulations and would be paid for by introducing a minimum corporate tax of 15 percent, among other tax revisions.
Schumer said the Senate will vote on it next week.
Unlike the House of Representatives, which allows members to vote by proxy, the Senate votes in person.
Durbin’s positive COVID case also comes after President Joe Biden finally tested positive for the coronavirus.
Biden spent five days in isolation before testing negative on Wednesday, touting how he managed his COVID case thanks to vaccines and access to the antiviral Paxlovid.
“Here’s the bottom line: When my predecessor got COVID, he had to be flown by helicopter to Walter Reed Medical Center,” Biden said of former President Donald Trump. “He was seriously ill. Luckily he recovered.’
“I got COVID, I worked from upstairs in the White House… for the period of five days,” Biden continued.
“The difference is of course the vaccinations.”
The White House said Biden must test negative for COVID-19 on an antigen test before resuming public events.
He did that on Wednesday morning.
It’s unclear if senators will adhere to the same process or simply follow CDC guidelines allowing individuals to exit isolation after Day #5.