We touched on this issue at the end of Monday's post, but it's garnering more attention as the week progresses. Joe Manchin and Chuck Schumer blindsided Republicans -- and some Democrats, apparently -- with their announcement of a tax-and-spend 'BBB-lite' deal late last week.
It wasn't just an agreement on principle; it was a fully-written bill. Its rollout was planned in secret, then sprung just as soon as Senate Republicans had helped pass the CHIPS Act, which Mitch McConnell had been holding up as leverage.
With said leverage off the table, the truth could be told -- a deal to hike taxes and expand federal spending was in place, blessed by the most important swing vote in the upper chamber. The GOP, it seemed, had been rolled. But are Democrats about to pull a similar maneuver against Manchin himself?
