President Biden, meeting with House Democrats on Capitol Hill on Friday, indicated they must further delay a final vote on a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill and scale back his $3.5 trillion social spending package to around $2 trillion range if either is to pass, lawmakers told Axios.
Why it matters: Biden made clear he wants to keep the two packages linked together and that he is optimistic there can be an agreement.
- "It doesn't matter if it's six minutes, six days or six weeks, we're going to get it done," the president told reporters on his way out of the meeting.
- Two lawmakers told Axios they anticipated it could be another month before both bills can be passed.
- While moderates don't want to wait on the infrastructure vote and progressives don't want to spend less on the social programs, the pause likely moves the fragile Democratic coalition closer to ultimately securing major portions of the president's agenda ahead of the 2022 midterms.
Between the lines: This was Biden's first-ever meeting with the full House Democratic caucus since becoming president.
- His appearance comes as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has been working to balance the different demands of the caucus and navigate a path forward toward compromise.
What they're saying: “He is the President of the United States and he says that he wants to get this done, and he basically linked them together,” Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), a moderate Democrats, told Axios....
- “He basically said it's not going to be $3.5 (trillion). It could be $1.9 trillion-$2 trillion. The president threw out some numbers, so I assume