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WASHINGTON – House Democrats rallied on Tuesday after delaying a vote to advance President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill and multibillion-dollar social safety net expansion, as President Nancy Pelosi was struggling to tame a rebellion of centrist lawmakers.
At a caucus meeting on Tuesday, Pelosi told Democrats she was optimistic about reaching a deal as she considered an afternoon vote that would include concessions to appease the moderates.
“I’m sorry we couldn’t land the plane last night and you all had to wait. But that’s part of the legislative progress,” she said, according to a Democratic aide. “I think we’re about to land the plane.”
The stakes are high for Biden’s two main legislative priorities.
The president and his team called on various members of the House, including centrist dissenters, to defend Pelosi’s plan and stressed that the infrastructure and budget bills are essential to his agenda, an official said. the White House.
The House Rules Committee met again on Tuesday morning with the aim of organizing votes on the budget resolution that will allow them to begin work on the $ 3.5 trillion package, as well as vote on the infrastructure bill passed by the Senate and voted John Lewis. Promotion of Rights Act.
The procedural vote to kick off the process was originally scheduled for Monday evening, but Pelosi faced defections from a group of nine moderates who threatened to vote against. Lawmakers are insisting that the $ 550 billion infrastructure bill be immediately passed and enacted before they begin to draft a larger bill.
Democratic leaders plan to promise that the House will vote on the infrastructure bill by September 27, said a leadership aide, who added that this meets the request made by moderates by a certain date. .
Democratic leaders expect to vote on the rule of procedure Tuesday afternoon after its approval in committee.
“These negotiations are never easy,” said Chairman of the House Rules Committee Jim McGovern. “I think it’s Hillary Clinton who said it takes a village. I say it takes a therapist. But the therapy session is over.”
Pelosi said for months that the two bills had to move side by side. Dozens of progressives say they won’t support the infrastructure bill without a bigger spending bill, while moderates are more interested in passing the infrastructure package into law.
At the heart of the stalemate is a leverage offer on the multibillion dollar bill. Progressives want to push through a radical expansion of the safety net, paid for by tax hikes on businesses and the wealthy. Centrist Democrats are wary of the $ 3.5 trillion price tag and are more skeptical of some taxes.
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