As Senate Democrats are looking to ram through their tax and climate agenda, Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have been negotiating on a $1.5 trillion piece of legislation.

Lately, Schumer has been working from Brooklyn since he caught COVID. But that is not stopping him from trying to ram through the agenda. Behind the scenes, Schumer is going all-out to keep negotiations alive with Manchin.

Politico reports that Schumer and Manchin have spoken more than a half-dozen times, mainly in person, as they keep negotiations going. Manchin has questioned whether the partisan bill is the right approach as inflation continues to rise. Manchin had this to say about his relationship with Schumer:

“We understand each other well enough … We can agree to disagree, we can agree to try and find a moderate middle. He knows that I’m not in the base camp far to the left; that will never happen … He knows exactly where I’m at. Now whether they can get there or whatever, we’ll see.”

As the far-left base of the Democratic Party continues to criticize Manchin, the West Virginia Senator is holding his ground and negotiating with the best interests of his constituents. Schumer and Manchin privately agreed on a $1.5 trillion iteration of the bill, but in December, Manchin pulled the plug on the spending bill.

Still, Schumer has been working overtime, attempting to ram the Biden agenda through, just in time, before the midterm elections. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) praised Schumer:

“He’s on the phone, he’s on Zoom, then he’s back on the phone. Chuck is still in the middle of everything … Chuck, I think, has had a phone surgically attached to his ear for years now.”

According to the Democrats, this $1.5 trillion bill will fund new energy investments, raise taxes on high earners and corporations, and reduce drug costs. Due to the budget reconciliation process, the Democrats will need 50 votes plus Vice President Harris’ approval to pass this legislation.

Publicly, Manchin has had a different tone:

“If I’m just doing something on one party line or the other party line, I’m not better than the rest.”

Manchin has suggested a bipartisan approach to lower prescription drugs to test where Republicans stand.

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) spoke Tuesday about the narrow party-line bill that Schumer and Manchin are discussing:

“We have very strong thoughts about reconciliation that we’re working on right now. Schumer knows my views very well. We’ll get them out soon enough.”

It remains unclear if and when this legislation will pass, but if it does, it will be prior to the midterm elections.