Biden says Democrats should delay infrastructure vote until agreement is reached

President Biden called on House Democrats to hold off on voting on a nearly $1 trillion infrastructure bill until a deal is reached on a separate social-policy and climate bill, the last of a central piece of his own agenda. Passing delayed again. Bid to unite troubled Democrats.

Even as Mr Biden supported the progressives’ push to hold a vote on the infrastructure bill, however, he acknowledged in a closed-door meeting with House Democrats on Friday that social-policy and climate The bill’s price tag would need to be dropped, according to lawmakers and aides, from far less than $3.5 trillion to closer to about $2 trillion.

The infrastructure bill is “until we reach an agreement on the next piece of legislation,” Biden told House Democrats, according to a person familiar with his remarks. Leaving the meeting, Mr. Biden told reporters: “It doesn’t matter if it’s in six minutes, six days or six weeks. We’re going to get it done.”

The House passed 365-51 on Friday night a short-term extension of existing transportation programs instead of an infrastructure bill.

The presidential visit to Capitol Hill appeared, at least temporarily, to ease the standoff between the progressive and liberal wings of the Democratic Party, who have been feuding for weeks over Mr Biden’s agenda.

Progressives threaten to block the infrastructure bill if it comes to the floor before Democrats are integrated around a broader social-policy bill that includes initiatives on education, health care and climate. The centrists, in turn, have called for a vote on infrastructure and raised concerns about the cost of the social-policy and climate bill, which also includes a proposed tax hike.

“I think they sent two practical realities: one is that we have to make an agreement on reconciliation and it won’t be $3.5 [trillion] And two, that’s going to be necessary to get an infrastructure bill across the finish line,” said Rep. Derek Kilmer (D., Wash.).

The horrific intraparty negotiations are a reflection of the Democrats’ narrow majority in Congress. Democrats can’t afford a single defection in the 50-50 Senate, and they can’t lose more than three votes in the House.

They are following a process called reconciliation to get the social-policy and climate bill approved without GOP support in the Senate, where the law would need 60 votes to move forward. Republicans have called the social-policy proposal useless and potentially harmful to the economy.

Democrats initially set the social-policy and climate bill at $3.5 trillion, although Biden told House Democrats that talks with the centrists would put its cost in the range of about $2 trillion, according to lawmakers and aides . Lawmakers said Mr Biden noted a potential topline from the bill could range from $1.9 trillion to $2.3 trillion.

“Even a small bill could make a historic investment,” Mr Biden told House Democrats, according to two people familiar with his remarks.

“He said what we all know is true, that $3.5″ [trillion] Gotta come down,” said Rep. Peter Welch (D., Vt.), “I’m glad to hear him say — that we can make progress with fewer numbers.”

Top Democrats and Mr Biden spent most of the week working to resolve the impasse. He held several meetings with centrist Democrats, including Senser Joe Manchin (D., W.V.A.) and Kirsten Cinemas (D., Ariz.), working to create a new framework for the social-policy and climate bill. As those talks continued, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) twice this week delayed voting on the infrastructure bill.

Mrs Pelosi had targeted this week for a vote on the infrastructure bill as part of a previous agreement with centrist Democrats. Some of those centrists resigned Friday evening to delay again, given Mr Biden’s stance.

“I wish we’d heard something else, but the president said we had to meet them both,” said Representative Henry Kueller (D., Texas). “If we get it done it will be a victory. The question is when will we get that victory.”

While Mr Biden effectively gave Democrats more time to resolve their differences with his comments on Friday, the party will still need to make a tough decision about whether to go ahead with its infrastructure bill. How to reduce the $3.5 trillion package.

House Democrats have prepared a package that would expand Medicare to cover dental, vision and hearing care; offer universal preschool; Provide two free years of community college; and creating a program that encourages utilities to reduce carbon emissions over time, along with many other programs.

Mr Manchin has said he may support $1.5 trillion on the social-policy and climate bill, while Ms. Cinema has not publicly announced who she will support. According to a spokeswoman, she was in Phoenix for a medical appointment on Friday and continued to talk remotely.

Lawmakers said Mr Biden told them he had spent “ten hours” talking with Mr Munchkin and Ms Cinema and that he was prompting them to identify which programs they could return.

“He’s just basically what he’s been saying to him is, ‘Tell me what you’re for – don’t talk about a number, tell me what policies you’re for,'” according to the House Budget Committee. President John Yarmuth (D., Ky.) said.

The failure to pass an infrastructure bill in both chambers before midnight led to a lapse in authorization for the nation’s transportation programs, placing about 3,700 federal workers on temporary leave, according to a Department of Transportation spokesman. Senators did not agree to quickly approve the House measure on Friday, with Democrats saying they would take the measure again on Saturday.