(RepublicanPress.org) – House Democrats continue to argue among themselves over President Joe Biden’s $3.5-trillion reconciliation bill. At the same time, Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) say they won’t pass the measure if it reaches the Senate with a price tag that high.
On Sunday, September 26, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) spoke out about the reconciliation bill during an interview with ABC News host George Stephanopoulos. Stunningly, she suggested Democrats quit bickering about the measure’s “numbers and dollars.” Instead, she suggested they talk about the party’s shared “values.”
Asked about Senate Democrats opposed to $3.5 trillion price tag of reconciliation bill, Speaker Pelosi tells @GStephanopoulos: “We’ll see what we need, we’ll see how the number comes down and what we need in that regard.” https://t.co/1Nz4xLZDT7 pic.twitter.com/hohP0yvJbR
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) September 27, 2021
Pelosi readily admitted the final number for the reconciliation package would eventually come down, which is why she suggested Democrats focus on values and not the price tag at this point. However, the multi-trillion-dollar cost for the measure isn’t the only stumbling point for Democrats.
House moderates are pressuring Pelosi to pass a separate bipartisan infrastructure bill already advanced in the Senate. They have concerns if Pelosi sits on the measure much longer, the deal with Republicans could fall apart. The Congressional Progressive Caucus says they will kill the bipartisan measure unless Pelosi holds a vote on both packages at the same time.
There’s no way of knowing whether Pelosi can juggle White House demands along with those of House moderates and Progressives and get either measure passed. In the meantime, she canceled a Monday vote on the bipartisan bill and rescheduled it for Thursday, September 30.
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