Biden rallies support for social spending deal as House Democrats are set to delay infrastructure vote
The infrastructure bill — which Biden sees as a complementary piece of his domestic agenda — has already cleared the Senate and will go to the president’s desk once the House passes the legislation. It would put more than $500 billion in new money into roads, highways, bridges, public transit, broadband and utility systems.
The Senate passed the bill with bipartisan support. It appears to have more limited Republican backing in the House, which has given progressives leverage to delay a vote as they seek assurances about the second spending plan.
“I feel very good about where we are, and I feel very confident that we’re going to be able to deliver both these things, but you’re going to have to give us some time because it does take time to put together these kinds of transformational investments,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Washington Democrat and chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told reporters on Friday morning.
Meanwhile, the Republicans who helped to craft the infrastructure bill in the Senate have tried to put more pressure on the House — including their GOP counterparts — to pass it.
In a joint statement late Thursday, Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Bill Cassidy, R-La., Susan Collins, R-Maine, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said they were “disappointed” by the vote delay. They said they “remain hopeful the House will come together in a spirit of bipartisanship just as the Senate did and pass this important piece of legislation.”
The senators added, “It deserves the strong support of both parties.”
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/01/house-infrastructure-vote-democrats-try-to-reach-budget-spending-deal.html