This framework will get 50 Senate votes, Biden tells House Democrats
Lauren Gambino
Joe Biden rallied House Democrats behind a proposed $1.75tn framework deal that he said could win the support of every Democrat in the Senate and prove to the world that American democracy can deliver.
“I am back here to tell you that we have a framework that will get 50 votes in the United States Senate,” he told House Democrats during a morning caucus meeting, according to a source familiar.
After joking that he came to sample the buffet, Biden sharpened his pitch. He said the country was at an “inflection point.”
“The rest of the world wonders whether we can function,” he said, pointing to the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol and a “Republican Party that stands for nothing.”
“I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that the House and Senate majorities and my presidency will be determined by what happens in the next week,” he said.
He then asked directly for their support.
“I need you to help me,” he said. “I need your votes.” Some members began chanting “Vote, Vote, vote.”
Congressional Progressive Caucus chair Pramila Jayapal said she was impressed by Joe Biden’s presentation this morning in his meeting with House Democrats on the framework of the reconciliation package.
However, Jayapal said it was still unclear whether centrist Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema would support this framework.
“He said he’s confident he can get the votes,” Jayapal told reporters after the meeting with the president.
“It wasn’t clear whether the two senators have committed to vote for it, so you know look, I think it’s a bit of a leap of faith in the president.”
Rep. Pramila Jayapal says President Biden is "confident he can get the votes" on his revamped $1.75 trillion spending bill, but it's unclear if Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have committed their support: "It's a bit of a leap of faith" https://t.co/AZoA19rKBHpic.twitter.com/46NVJDZ8y1
The progressive congresswoman reiterated the importance of seeing the text of the reconciliation package before moving forward.
“The first step is we’ve got to see the legislation,” Jayapal said. “If it’s true that there’s 90% of the legislation that’s written, then we should be able to get the other 10% written in the next couple of days, and then we can all take a look.”
House majority leader Steny Hoyer has alerted members that the chamber may vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill today, but progressives have indicated they want to see the reconciliation package text before supporting the infrastructure bill.
Hoyer sets up possible vote today on infrastructure bill, amid progressive criticism
House majority leader Steny Hoyer has alerted members that the chamber may vote on the infrastructure bill today, but that remains highly uncertain.
“Today, the House meets at 10:00 a.m. for legislative business,” the latest House floor schedule update reads.
“Members are advised that votes are expected today. Additionally, the House may consider the Senate Amendment to H.R. 3684 – Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.”
However, House progressives are still insisting they want to see the text of the reconciliation package before supporting the infrastructure bill, which will almost certainly not happen today.
And House progressives have the votes to prevent the infrastructure bill from passing.
Progressives want to see reconciliation package text before supporting infrastructure bill
Congressional Progressive Caucus chair Pramila Jayapal reiterated that she and her members want to see the text of the reconciliation package before supporting the infrastructure bill.
“We will deliver both the infrastructure package and the Build Back Better Act to people across America — but we can’t do that if we don’t even have a bill,” the Washington congresswoman said on Twitter.
“We won’t risk leaving working families and our communities behind.”
We will deliver both the infrastructure package and the Build Back Better Act to people across America — but we can't do that if we don’t even have a bill.
Speaking to reporters this morning before House Democrats’ meeting with Joe Biden, Jayapal said that progressives will need reassurances about centrist Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema supporting the president’s framework of the reconciliation package.
“Yes, I mean that has to be a part of it,” Jayapal said. “He’s our president. If he says he’s gotten those assurances, I don’t know if I can get everyone to that place, but I think we would have to trust him at that point -- but not without passing the two bills out of the House.”
The White House chief of staff, Ron Klain, praised the framework of the reconciliation package as a historic investment in early education and climate initiatives.
“It’s twice as big, in real dollars, as the New Deal was,” Klain said on Twitter.
“This can be the Congress that goes from 12 years of universal education to 14 years; the makes the largest investment in fighting climate change ever; that cuts what families pay for child care in half.”
It's twice as big, in real dollars, as the New Deal was. This can be the Congress that goes from 12 years of universal education to 14 years; the makes the largest investment in fighting climate change ever; that cuts what families pay for child care in half. https://t.co/hpK95CYcxD
One big question to consider this morning: will the framework released by Joe Biden be enough for House progressives to feel comfortable moving forward with the bipartisan infrastructure bill?
House progressives have withheld their support from the infrastructure bill for weeks because they have insisted that the reconciliation package must advance at the same time.
Some progressives have reiterated this week that they do not want to vote for the infrastructure bill until they at least see the text of the reconciliation package.
Biden is meeting with House Democrats this morning, and they will likely discuss the timing of a vote on the infrastructure bill.
Joe Biden’s framework for the reconciliation package calls for the bill to be funded through a series of new taxes on corporations and the wealthiest Americans.
The president is calling for a 15% corporate minimum tax on large companies and a 1% surcharge on corporate stock buybacks.
If enacted, the reconciliation bill would also place a new surtax on multi-millionaires and billionaires and invest in IRS enforcement.
Democrats had initially been looking at raising tax rates on large corporations and wealthy Americans to help pay for the bill, but centrist Senator Kyrsten Sinema expressed criticism of those proposals.
The framework of the reconciliation bill released by the White House includes an expansion of Medicare to cover hearing care.
But Senate budget committee chairman Bernie Sanders has demanded that the bill also expand Medicare to include dental and vision coverage, which is not mentioned in the framework.
Furthermore, Sanders has insisted that the reconciliation package take meaningful steps to lower the prices of prescription drugs.
The framework indicates the bill would repeal a Trump administration rule that may have negatively impacted drug prices, but there does not appear to be any other mention of the issue.
It’s unclear whether this framework would be sufficient to attract the support of Sanders and other progressives who have said those issues are top priorities for them.
When asked this morning whether Sanders supports the framework, Joe Biden told reporters, “Everybody’s on board.”
Biden releases framework for spending package as he prepares to leave for Europe
Greetings from Washington, live blog readers.
Joe Biden has just released a $1.75tn framework for Democrats’ reconciliation package, a massive spending package that includes significant investments in climate initiatives, healthcare programs and childcare access.
According to the framework just released by the White House, the president is calling for $400bn to be spent on establishing universal preschool for all three- and four-year-olds and expanding access to affordable childcare.
Another $555bn would be invested in combatting the climate crisis, including clean energy tax credits, extreme weather response efforts and incentives to spur new domestic supply chains.
As previously reported, the framework does not include any mention of paid family and medical leave, a key policy that was cut from the bill to keep it at an acceptable price tag for centrist Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema.
Biden has just arrived on Capitol Hill to sell this framework to Democratic lawmakers, but he has limited time to do so. He is scheduled to leave for Europe in just a few hours.
The blog will have more details on the framework coming up, so stay tuned.
