Dems Face Divorcing $3.5 Trillion Reconciliation Plan From Bipartisan Bill

September 28, 2021
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speak to the media on August 7, 2020. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
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September 28, 2021

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) indicated in a meeting with her colleagues that her and President Biden’s two-track plan for passing both the bipartisan infrastructure legislation and the sweeping $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill may be sunk.

The Democratic leader told her caucus that she would still put the bipartisan bill to a vote on Thursday but reconciliation would not be ready to put on the floor this week despite her previous announcement. The decision to basically decouple the bills came after Democratic leadership realized they’d have to pare down the $3.5 trillion price tag for moderate Democrats who threw the two-track plan into jeopardy, according to multiple reports on the meeting.

While a failed vote on the bipartisan bill would surely produce a slew of “Dems in disarray” type headlines, it may be a saving grace for Democratic leadership. They’d have a few more weeks to finish reconciliation in a way that satisfies everyone, and heighten the chances of passing both bills then without the pressure of this arbitrary deadline.

Meanwhile, Democrats are scrambling to figure out how to fend off a government shutdown and a full-on disaster with the national debt caused by GOP senators who voted against the legislation to keep the government funded and suspend the debt limit.

Follow our live coverage below:

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) indicated in a meeting with her colleagues that her and President Biden’s two-track plan for passing both the bipartisan infrastructure legislation and the sweeping $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill may be sunk.

The Democratic leader told her caucus that she would still put the bipartisan bill to a vote on Thursday but reconciliation would not be ready to put on the floor this week despite her previous announcement. The decision to basically decouple the bills came after Democratic leadership realized they’d have to pare down the $3.5 trillion price tag for moderate Democrats who threw the two-track plan into jeopardy, according to multiple reports on the meeting.

While a failed vote on the bipartisan bill would surely produce a slew of “Dems in disarray” type headlines, it may be a saving grace for Democratic leadership. They’d have a few more weeks to finish reconciliation in a way that satisfies everyone, and heighten the chances of passing both bills then without the pressure of this arbitrary deadline.

Meanwhile, Democrats are scrambling to figure out how to fend off a government shutdown and a full-on disaster with the national debt caused by GOP senators who voted against the legislation to keep the government funded and suspend the debt limit.

Follow our live coverage below:

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