Senate Democrats are looking to move ahead this week with legislation salvaging parts of President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda, but several items New York lawmakers were hoping for were left out.

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and moderate Democrat Joe Manchin shocked Washington last week when they announced a surprise deal on the legislation, which Democrats aim to pass without needing Republican votes through a process called reconciliation.


What You Need To Know

  • While adding back in climate spending, the Schumer-Manchin agreement leaves out many items New York lawmakers were hoping for

  • The deal does not include a boost to the SALT cap or funding for public housing, which could help with NYCHA's backlog

  • New York Democratic lawmakers say the fight for these items continues, even if are not included in the final reconciliation bill

What made the cut?

The plan agreed to by Schumer and Manchin calls for nearly $370 billion in climate and energy investments.

It extends Obamacare subsidies and empowers Medicare to negotiate drug prices.

It also imposes a 15% minimum tax on large corporations and reduces the deficit by an estimated $300 billion, according to a summary provided by Senate Democrats.

“The Inflation Reduction Act is common sense, it’s bold, and it’s very much needed,” Schumer said, touting the deal.

Many New York Democrats cheered the news of the agreement.

“We got to respond to climate, and we got to respond big, so I’m happy to see that included,” Rep. Jamaal Bowman said.

Just two weeks before, Bowman and other New Yorkers were devastated and frustrated when it seemed that Manchin had killed the climate provisions from any reconciliation package.

NY priorities left on the cutting room floor

The agreement is only a fraction of what Biden originally pushed for as part of his Build Back Better agenda. And many of the provisions New Yorkers wanted have been left on the cutting room floor.

The Schumer-Manchin deal does not include a boost to the cap on the state and local tax deduction, or SALT. The current $10,000 cap disproportionately affects high tax states like New York.

Universal pre-K, paid family leave, and funding for public housing are also not included. The housing money, in particular, could have taken a bite out of NYCHA’s estimated $40 billion repair backlog.

New York Democrats who spoke with NY1 did not explicitly rule out voting for the plan because of what is not included. However, almost all of them were quick to emphasize that, provided the bill becomes law, their fight continues.

“We are beholden to what the Senate can come to an agreement on,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said. “But that doesn’t mean we stop trying.”

“Once we’ve finished, we can pick the real important pieces — such as the housing one — and try to pass them,” Rep. Adriano Espaillat said.

“A lot more work to do. We’ve got to come right back the next day and get back to the drawing board on those issues,” Bowman said.

However, in this closely divided Congress, a reconciliation bill where only Democratic votes are needed may be the only real shot of getting some of these priorities across the finish line.