Is today the day?
A–n–d … INACTION:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats in the House appear on the verge of advancing President Joe Biden’s $1.85 trillion-and-growing domestic policy package alongside a companion $1 trillion infrastructure bill in what would be a dramatic political accomplishment — if they can push it to passage.
The House scrapped votes late Thursday but will be back at it early Friday, and White House officials worked the phones to lock in support for the president’s signature proposal. After months of negotiations, House passage of the big bill would be a crucial step, sending to the Senate Biden’s ambitious effort to expand health care, child care and other social services for countless Americans and deliver the nation’s biggest investment yet to fight climate change.
Alongside the slimmer roads-bridges-and-broadband package, it adds up to Biden’s answer to his campaign promise to rebuild the country from the COVID-19 crisis and confront a changing economy.
But they’re not there yet.
That AP report was earlier this morning (5:43 a.m. EDT).
And now (7:11 a.m. EDT)?
Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California had previously privately told her top deputies that she had hoped to hold a vote on the social policy bill on Thursday night, with the vote on the infrastructure measure Friday morning, according to two people briefed on the discussions.
But even after Mr. Biden and members of his cabinet worked the phones and Ms. Pelosi and her team spent much of Thursday buttonholing lawmakers on the House floor, the votes proved elusive.
[…]
A few centrists were also balking at supporting the package — which includes monthly payments to families with children, universal prekindergarten, a four-week paid family and medical leave program, health care subsidies and a broad array of climate change initiatives — before evaluating the fiscal impact of the latest, hastily assembled 2,135-page version of the legislation.
And now (7:38 a.m. EDT)?
CNN:
What to watch
-
- The House convenes at 8 a.m. ET.
- The chamber will first consider the rule (which was approved a little before midnight by the House Rules Committee).
- If the rule is adopted, the House would move on to two hours of debate on the roughly $1.9 trillion economic and climate package, followed by a vote on that package.
- Then the House would move to consideration of the Senate-passed $1.2 trillion infrastructure proposal.
- There’s no set time for the votes at this point, and likely won’t be until leadership knows for sure they have the votes.
And now? Republicans are trying to adjourn the House:
TPM (8:35 a.m. EDT):
The House convened at 8 a.m. ET this morning. Now the chamber is debating the rule on the reconciliation package on the floor, then House lawmakers will debate the bill itself if the rule passes, and then boom, then there’ll be a final vote on the bill.
If reconciliation passes, it’ll get kicked over to the Senate and face a final reckoning with Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Joe Manchin (D-WV).
Both House and Senate are scheduled to be out of session next week.
It’s going to be a long Friday.