Senate Democrats Eye Immigration Reform in $3.5 Trillion Budget Deal, but offer few details

 The Senate returned to the Capitol on Thursday morning for votes Thursday after Democrats announced agreement on a $3.5 trillion dollar budget deal earlier this week that, if passed, would fund President Joe Biden's sweeping budget agenda.

LPO asked Democratic senators for details about the massive legislative proposal after centrist Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) told reporters on Wednesday night that he supported including immigration reform in the budget deal.

While the details of Democrats' budget agreement remain scarce, Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) told LPO that he thinks funding for immigration reform, which he supports, are included in the proposal.

"It was indicated that there's funding [for immigration reform in the budget package]," Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) told LPO, "but at this point you probably know more than I do."

Generally we're still not at a point where we're getting a lot of information about component parts. I think we're just getting to that point now where we're getting a sense of what the broad strokes are beyond just the $ 3.5 trillion. 

"Right now the plan is a topline dollar number," Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) told LPO when asked for details about how immigration reform might fit into the budget deal. "Then the [Senate] judiciary committee will take jurisdiction and work through the details and make a recommendation to the rest of the [Democratic] caucus."

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) cautioned that there are limits to what can be passed through budget reconciliation, the legislative maneuver that the Democratic majorities in Congress are expected to use to pass the sweeping budget proposal, adding: "Whatever vehicles we can find to do immigration reform are good ones. "

"My hope is that our bipartisan efforts will yield results but if not, then yes I would," Senator Bob Menendez told LPO when asked if he supported including immigration reform in the budget legislation.

"I don't think it's unreasonable," said Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) when asked the same. "It just depends on what it looks like." 

Leader Schumer made an announcement Tuesday night that the Democratic members of the budget committee had come to some sort of agreement with a top ply number. There were many other parameters that were shared Tuesday, Wednesday, and today on other important provisions that we're all working towards. We're trying to do the most that we can given the tools that we have.

Democratic Senators Booker (NJ), Schatz (HA), and Murphy (CT) also told LPO they support including immigration reform in the budget deal.