Joe Biden has increased the pressure on the Democrats.

On the way to an election campaign appearance in New Jersey, where his fellow party member Phil Murphy, the former ambassador to Berlin, is worried about his re-election as governor, he said it would be positive if the deal were in place before his Europe- Set off on a journey.

Internally, the president had even said that he needed an agreement by then.

Majid Sattar

Political correspondent for North America based in Washington.

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The deal - these are the party-internal negotiations on the large social package, on which the party left made its approval of the cross-party infrastructure package by the Senate dependent.

Both packages, which are at the heart of the President's agenda, contain climate protection programs.

And Biden would like to appear at the UN conference in Glasgow with the agreement in his luggage.

Will the reforms turn things around?

But regardless of that, he has an interest in bringing the tough negotiations, which have tied up almost all of our strengths since the summer, to a positive conclusion. The administration hopes that once the key reform projects have been launched, the cards will be reshuffled. Then nobody will talk about the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. The economy will then pick up speed and the Americans will regain confidence in their government. Biden's approval ratings are in the basement a year before the congressional elections. He must cling to the hope that his reform projects will turn things around.

Before Biden, Nancy Pelosi, the “spokeswoman” for the House of Representatives, said that an agreement was about to be reached. Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, spoke of "three to four open questions" on Monday. Schumer and Senator Joe Manchin had gone to Wilmington on Sunday. The three discussed the issues at Biden's house in Delaware.

The president repeatedly countered the impression that his party was divided.

It is only about convincing two senators of his reforms - Manchin, the centrist from West Virginia, and Kyrsten Sinema, the senator from Arizona.

Without their votes, the packages cannot be passed in the second chamber.

What Biden is hiding: There are some moderate Democrats in the House of Representatives who are quite happy that the two senators are ensuring that spending is cut.

Is the “rich tax” coming?

The social package was originally intended to include spending of $ 3.5 trillion. It is now expected to cost only $ 1.5 trillion to $ 2 trillion. Then there is the infrastructure package, which comprises one trillion dollars. Negotiations are still going on about the provisions for the reform of “Medicare” and “Medicaid”, health care for the elderly and the needy, as well as continued payment of wages in the event of illness and for parental leave. Some people have concerns about expanding health care for the elderly to include dentists, ophthalmologists and ear specialists. He is also against the fact that the federal government wants to cover the costs of expanded health care for the needy in states that had frozen the services.

Continued payment of wages is about the duration of the service.

Biden had promised twelve weeks in the election campaign.

There are now only four left in question.

The president doesn't even try to gloss over the fact that he has to make concessions.

The reason is simple: otherwise he won't get through the social package at all.

Manchin and Sinema, who are currently facing severe hostility from their own party, represent the right wing of the Democrats and fear that they will be re-elected if they move too far to the left.

Manchin represents the structurally conservative West Virginia.

Arizona, on the other hand, was also a republican stronghold for a long time.

Thanks to demographic change, especially the influx of Latinos, the state is now a "swing state".

Sinema is particularly opposed to the tax increases for companies and individuals who are supposed to counter-finance the reform package.

An alternative investment income tax for billionaires is currently being considered.

This was suggested by Senator Ron Wyden from Oregon, the chairman of the finance committee.

If passed, it would be a late Elizabeth Warren victory.

For the Senator from Massachusetts, the idea of ​​a billionaire tax was the core element of her campaign as a 2020 presidential candidate. In the meantime, it led the field of applicants in the polls.

In the primaries, however, it was then passed through.

Critics said she was standing too far to the left.

Now her old idea could save Biden's agenda.