Jorge Castro, former Counselor to the IRS Commissioner during the Obama administration and former Democratic Congressional tax aide, commented on potential next steps for President Biden's social spending and tax package (the Build Back Better legislation) as Democrats seek a way to get the bill through the Senate with the support of Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV). After Senator Manchin recently announced he could not support President Biden's Build Back Better bill, Democrats are actively seeking solutions that might find the support of Manchin whose vote is a necessity in the 50-50 Senate evenly divided between the two parties. In addition, Castro said that a more focused bill could help Democrats counter Republican attacks that the bill is a grab bag of spending. "I think it definitely helps [Democrats] from a messaging perspective," Castro said.