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Good Wednesday morning, I'm Adrienne Hurst and welcome to your Politico Playbook audio briefing.

Democrats may technically control the House, the Senate, and the White House, but there's a new sheriff in town in Joe Biden.

And centrist Democrats are calling for some good old-fashioned bipartisanship on big-ticket items like COVID relief.

That leaves lawmakers and

the majority facing a conundrum, work with a minority, or try to run them over, a tale as old as time.

For Biden's top priority, that gigantic COVID relief bill, Democrats are revving up the bulldozer.

They're ready to move forward stat on reconciliation, that wonky budget tool that

can help them jam the bill through Congress without GOP votes. Look for Chuck Schumer to put a budget

on the Senate floor as soon as next week and for the House to do the same, taking the first

steps to unlock that fast-tracking tool. But wait a minute. What about Senate moderates?

Remember Chuck's working with a 50-50 chamber here. But wait a minute, what about Senate moderates? Remember, Chuck's working

with a 50-50 chamber here. He can't afford to lose one single Democratic vote. West Virginia

Senator Joe Manchin is still convinced the only way forward is across the aisle. He gave this

appeal to Politico's Burgess Everett. I'll guarantee you I can sit down with my Republican friends and find a

pathway forward. Just let me try first. Sources also tell playbook that Mansion, like his Republican

colleagues, might just balk at that $1.9 trillion price tag of Biden's relief package. Oh,

and here's another Democratic fault line to look for as all of this unfolds, the $15 minimum wage fight that feels like it's been going on forever.

Senator Bernie Sanders, who chairs the Budget Committee, wants to use reconciliation to push that one through as part of Biden's COVID proposal.

But here's the catch. You can't use reconciliation for everything.

Technically, it can only be used to make fiscal policy

changes that significantly change federal revenues or spending. Sanders' thinking here is that

...