(Bloomberg) -- Democrats have abandoned plans to include as much as 12 weeks of paid family leave in President Joe Biden’s sweeping economic plan, according to two people familiar with the talks.
The decision comes as Democrats rush to broker a deal between progressives and moderates on the tax and spending plan, which will include as much as $2 trillion in new spending on social and climate programs.
Earlier Wednesday, New York Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said she was working to broker a deal on paid leave with Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a moderate Democrat who has said he didn’t want to create a new entitlement program.
At one point, lawmakers considered reducing the benefit to four weeks.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire said she believed the deal would be limited to parental leave and not cover illnesses. But it now has been dropped altogether, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the details aren’t public.
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