Biden backs down on corporate tax hikes, open to altering filibuster

When asked about voting rights, Biden expressed support for changing the Senate filibuster tradition, which requires 60 of 100 US senators to agree on most legislation

US President Joe Biden on Thursday backed away from pledged tax increases to fund planned infrastructure and social spending, and also said he was open to reforming Senate voting rights by “fundamentally altering” its filibuster custom.

In a wide-ranging CNN town hall, Biden said he was close to striking a deal to pass major spending measures afte­r weeks of intraparty bickering among his fellow Democrats.

However, he said that raising corporate tax rates, one of his most oft-cited promises, was unlikely to be part of the legislation. A separate minimum corporate tax proposal could fund the social programs that are at the