Washington, Oct. 3 (BNA) President Joe Biden on Saturday acknowledged frustration as Democrats sought to salvage a reduced version of his $3.5 trillion government reform plan and rescue the Public Works Bill after frantic negotiations failed to reach an agreement.
“Everyone is frustrated, it’s part of being in government, and the frustration,” Biden told reporters before leaving the White House for the weekend at his home in Wilmington, Delaware. He has vowed to “work like hell” to get the two pillars of his domestic agenda into law, but has declined to set a new deadline, the Associated Press reports.
The president went to Capitol Hill on Friday for a private meeting with House Democrats that was partly a morale booster for the disjointed group of lawmakers. According to the chamber’s lawmakers, he debated upwards of $1.9 trillion to $2 trillion for the largest package that would expand the nation’s social safety net.
The White House and its allies in Congress are ready for protracted negotiations. Biden said he would soon travel across the country to promote the legislation, and acknowledged concerns that talk in Washington has become too focused on the trillions in new spending and taxes in the bill.
He pledged to do more to educate the public about the new and expanded programs of the plan, which he emphasized had the support of the vast majority of voters.
“I’m going to try to sell what I think the American people are going to buy,” Biden said on Saturday, adding, “I think when the American people are aware of what’s in it, we’re going to get it done.”
The president said he believes the legislation will be signed into law with “plenty of time to change the tax code for people next year.”
It is a pivotal time for Biden and the party. His approval ratings plummeted and Democrats became anxious and eager to make good on his campaign promise to rebuild the country. His ideas go beyond road and bridge infrastructure to provide dental, vision, and hearing care for seniors, free pre-kindergarten, and major efforts to tackle climate change and other investments that would touch countless American lives.
Democrat Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia dashed hopes of a quick compromise on the framework when he refused to budge late Thursday on his demands for the smaller comprehensive package, about $1.5 trillion.
Without a broader deal, prospects for a vote on the utility public works bill stalled as progressives refused to commit until senators reached an agreement. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, MD, California, told colleagues that “more time is needed” as they put together the broader package.
The House of Representatives Friday evening approved a 30-day measure to keep transportation programs running during the stalemate, and set a new deadline for talks, Oct. 31. The Senate agreed to this without debate during Saturday’s brief session, to stop more furloughs. More than 3,500 federal transport workers, a byproduct of the political impasse. Biden signed it this evening.
Keeping her promise to centrists, Pelosi insisted earlier Friday that there would be a “vote today” on the trillion-dollar infrastructure bill that is popular but stuck in the controversy over Biden’s broader measure. But with Democratic Progressives refusing to lend their support to a slimmer road and bridge bill unless progress was made on the president’s massive bill, Pelosi was unwilling to call for a vote.
“Out of respect for our colleagues who support the bills, and in recognition of the need for both,” Pelosi said in a Saturday letter to House Democrats, she said she would not bring the smaller measure “on the ground until it fails.”
Senator Kirsten Senema of Arizona, a major centrist Democrat who helped steer the public works bill into the Senate but has concerns that Biden’s overall bill is too large, was dismayed by delays in the bipartisan deal negotiated with the president.
In a statement on Saturday, it said the canceled vote was “unforgivable, deeply disappointing” and “undermining” the confidence needed “for good faith negotiations.”
With Republicans staunchly opposed to Biden’s overall vision, the president and Democrats are achieving a giant legislative feat on their own — all paid for by rewriting federal balance sheets while raising taxes on corporations and the wealthy, who earn more than $400,000 a year. .
Biden’s biggest proposal is a set of Democratic priorities over the years with a final price he says is zero, because tax revenue will cover spending costs.
“We will pass both bills and must pass them soon,” Pelosi said in her letter. We have the responsibility and the opportunity to do so. People are waiting and wanting results.”
The White House and Democrats are also focused on raising the country’s borrowing limit before the US risks defaulting – the deadline for Treasury estimates will be reached no later than October 18. They indicated that they would not provide votes for bipartisan passage and wanted Democrats to go it alone.
“I hope Republicans will not be so irresponsible to refuse to raise the debt limit and disable the debt limit,” Biden said on Saturday. That would be totally unreasonable. It has not been done before. So I hope that doesn’t happen.”
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