Joe.My.God. LGBT News
Nobody knows what might happen:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s plan to pass a $1.9 trillion economic package and a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, two pillars of President Joe Biden’s agenda, is at risk of collapsing as leaders struggle to unify the progressive and moderate wings of the party, a dynamic that has consumed Democrats for the past several months.
After previously expressing confidence that both bills will pass on Friday, Pelosi indicated in the afternoon that they would just move the infrastructure bill amid push back from moderates that the $1.9 trillion bill needs an official cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office, a process that could take about two weeks.
But progressives are now warning that they will sink the infrastructure bill if it moves ahead. Progressives have long made clear that both bills must move in tandem, and they are saying that if the $1.9 trillion dollar bill is delayed then the infrastructure bill should be voted on at the same time.
The Washington Post reports:
Party lawmakers began the day hoping to deliver critical wins for the White House, securing final passage on two measures that have been stalled for months. The first was a $1.2 trillion bill to improve the nation’s infrastructure, and the second was a roughly $2 trillion package that aimed to overhaul the nation’s health care, education, climate, immigration and tax laws.
But a handful of moderates soon balked, as they raised questions about the fiscal implications of the latter initiative, a tax-and-spending bill that has changed numerous times in recent weeks. The centrists demanded to see more data about its budgetary effects before they would supply their much-needed support.
The opposition forced House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to change course, as she angled to assuage about half a dozen holdouts in a chamber where she can only afford three defections. By midday, Democrats announced they would reverse the order, holding a vote on the infrastructure bill first.