Narrow Margins
In the House, Representative Pramila Jayapal, head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said the group’s support isn’t guaranteed without knowing details about how their priorities are dealt with. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised the Senate Budget Committee agreement as “a victory for the American people.”
The White House must also keep Senate Republicans on board with the separate, bipartisan infrastructure deal. Some Republicans have expressed concern that by supporting the smaller bill, they are paving the way for Democrats to pass their sweeping agenda through Congress. They’ve urged the White House to disconnect the two measures.
Under special rules known as budget reconciliation, only a simple majority is needed to pass the $3.5 trillion Democratic economic plan through the Senate. But with the upper chamber split 50-50, Democrats can’t afford any defections because Republicans are expected to unanimously oppose the budget resolution.
“There are bumps along the way,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday. “But we are going to get this done.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, raised the specter of rising inflation in castigating the Democratic plan, calling it “wildly out of proportion to what the country needs right now.”
The agreement nonetheless marks an achievement for Democratic leaders. Budget Committee Democrats had been divided over the cost of the plan and which policies to include. Chairman Bernie Sanders initially pushed for a $6 trillion measure that added an expansion of Medicare, the health program for the elderly and disabled, an immigration overhaul and more generous childcare benefits, along with other items, to Biden’s initial proposal.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, said Biden’s message to the caucus was “very, very friendly.”
“It was do it big, do it bold. This is an historic opportunity,” Blumenthal said. “He emphasized the importance of the moment.”
The Budget Committee agreement includes Medicare expansion and provisions on immigration and prescription drugs, marking a significant win for Sanders.
“It’s a work in progress, but all I can tell you is that every issue that I have been talking about is in this proposal. Everything,” he said Wednesday.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.