Ben Cardin called for unity and compromise among Democrats as they try to push President Joe Biden's social spending plan forward.
We are ready to move. We need to make sure that we have unanimity in our caucus. Cardin, a Democrat in office since 2007, said on "Fox News Sunday" that they will start on that next week.
The social spending plan faced a blow when West Virginia's Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin said he would not support the current version of the bill. The White House and several other Democrats rebuked Manchin.
The bill is being changed to find a compromise. On Wednesday, the White House said it would continue conversations with Manchin, while Biden said he and Manchin were going to get something done.
I think we can get there. "We're not going to let perfection be the enemy of getting something done, even though a lot of us are going to be disappointed," Cardin said.
"We want to make sure it deals with the issues that we're facing in our communities, but we'll be pragmatic about it," he said.
Manchin suggested a counter-offer that excluded child tax credit checks and other components after shooting down the current version. The Washington Post reported that he was in favor of a wealth tax even though he had previously opposed it.
McConnell invited Manchin to join the Republican party, suggesting that he may be more comfortable in the GOP. On Sunday, Cardin rebuked those notions.
The Democratic Party is proud of its broad tent. There's room for everyone in our party, including Joe Manchin and Elizabeth Warren.
The Senate is not in session.
