House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her top deputy, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, sent mixed messages on how likely it is that the House passes an infrastructure bill Thursday, in comments that came just minutes apart.
"Think positively," Pelosi, D-Calif., said to conclude her press conference Thursday. She attempted to reassure progressives saying, "We will have a reconciliation bill for sure" and, "That is the plan," referring to passing the infrastructure bill on Thursday.
"We are proceeding in a very positive way to bring up the bill of the BIF, to do so in a way that can win. And so far so good," Pelosi said. She added that Democrats "are on a path to win the vote."
But minutes later, Hoyer, D-Md., directly contradicted Pelosi when asked whether he thinks the infrastructure bill will pass Thursday.
"Nope," Hoyer said.
A Senate aide tells Fox News' Jacqui Heinrich that Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said in a memo to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., that he can't guarantee his vote for any reconciliation bill that's more expensive than $1.5 trillion.
The development comes after progressives signaled anything less than $2.5 trillion for a reconciliation bill would be difficult for them to vote for. And it underscores the wide gulf Democrats have to bridge if they want to to come to an agreement on a reconciliation bill before a planned infrastructure vote Thursday.
Manchin spokeswoman Sam Runyon told Fox News: "There is no agreement, Manchin stands by his statement yesterday and reports of a number are completely inaccurate. He will continue to work in good faith."
A spokesman for Schumer told Fox News: "As the document notes, leader Schumer never agreed to any of the conditions Sen. Manchin laid out; he merely acknowledged where Sen. Manchin was on the subject at the time. As the document reads, Sen. Manchin did not rule out voting for a reconciliation bill that exceeded the ideas he outlined, and Leader Schumer made clear that he would work to convince Sen. Manchin to support a final reconciliation bill – as he has doing been for weeks."
Multiple sources tell Fox News' Jacqui Heinrich that discussions for a bill are currently circling around a number that is less than the $3.5 trillion progressives want, but is also higher than Manchin's $1.5 trillion starting point.
There have been no agreement, but the range being discussed is between $2 trillion and $2.5 trillion.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said Thursday that he "cannot accept" the United States shifting to an "entitlement mentality" with people expecting to be taken care of by big government programs, according to Fox News' Kelly Phares and Hillary Vaughn.
"I cannot accept our, our economy, or basically our society moving towards an entitlement mentality that you're entitled. Okay, I'm more of a rewarding, because I can help those who really need help, if those who can help themselves do so," Manchin said.
The comment was similar to a statement Manchin released Wednesday night. But it underscores how difficult it will be for Democrats to come to a deal about what should be included in their reconciliation bill. It is currently packed with such programs.
Manchin also doubled down on his calls for the House to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill without a deal on reconciliation -- a prospect that is looking more unlikely by the hour.
"The House needs to vote on that bill and they need to pass that bill," Manchin said. "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good."
If the bill does not pass Thursday, Manchin said, "it makes it more challenging" to come to an agreement on the reconciliation bill.
"I'm always I'm rational I'm going to work and talk with people but the bottom line is it makes it very hard, because then people get more dug in," Manchin said.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., says he's not confident the infrastructure bill will pass Thursday, according to Fox News' Jason Donner.
This is a direct contradiction of what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in her press conference Thursday morning.
When asked about whether he is optimistic about the bill's ability to pass, Hoyer responded, "Nope."
Hoyer is the second-ranking Democrat in the House.
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Pelosi says she's optimistic about infrastructure, promises there will be reconciliation bill
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Thursday morning continued her efforts to reassure House progressives that Congress will pass a reconciliation bill. Those progressive Democrats are the ones threatening to tank the infrastructure bill in a vote planned Thursdsay
“The reconciliation bill is the culmination of my service in Congress,” Pelosi said. “Remove all doubt in anyone’s mind that we will not have a reconciliation bill. We will have a reconciliation bill for sure.”
Pelosi said she believes things are going well Thursday on efforts to pass an infrastructure bill.
11 min(s) ago
According to the Hill pool, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was asked Thursday about the planned infrastructure vote and the moderate-progressive standoff that looks like it may doom the vote.
"Hour by hour. You’re moment by moment. I’m hour by hour," Pelosi said.
22 min(s) ago
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., will address the media at 10:45 a.m. Thursday. She is likely to face a barrage of questions about how she can pass the infrastructure bill and where negotiations stand on the reconciliation bill.
The government is also set to shut down at midnight, though Congress looks like it's on a path to temporarily avert a shutdown. Pelosi could face questions about that bill or the looming debt ceiling crisis.
32 min(s) ago
Fox News' Chad Pergram reports that a group of House Republicans who initially supported the bipartisan infrastructure bill could be key to the fate of the legislation if it comes up for a vote in the House on Thursday.
There were initially dozens of House Republicans who supported the bill but many have flaked because Hosue Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., intertwined that bill too much with the reconciliation bill, they say.
As of Thursday morning it appears the progressives threatening to tank the infrastructure bill over a lack of a reconciliation deal outnumber Republicans who may vote for it. But that could change if the White House and moderate Democratic senators come to an agreement in the next few hours.
Here are the House Republicans to watch:
Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., John Katko, R-N.Y., Tom Reed, R-N.Y., Fred Upton, R-Mich., Don Bacon, R-Neb., Don Young, R-Alaska, Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., Anthony Gonzalez, R-Ohio, Chris Smith, R-N.J, Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., Young Kim, R-Calif., Dan Meuser, R-Pa., Rodney Davis, R-Ill., and David Joyce, R-Ohio.
47 min(s) ago
It looks highly unlikely that the House of Representatives will pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill today amid a standoff between progressives who insist there must be an agreement on Democrats' $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill first, and moderates who say the opposite.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. -- who has been in talks with the White House about the potential for a smaller reconciliation bill -- said Wednesday night he "can’t support $3.5 trillion more in spending." Among his reasons were inflation and that the spending is not targeted. He called Democrats current reconciliation package "fiscal insanity."
This triggered yet another volley of attacks from progressives, who swear that they will tank the infrastructure bill if it does come up for a vote Thursday.
"Our position has not changed," Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., tweeted shortly after Manchin released his statement. "We will not ignore families who desperately need childcare. We will not ignore the unhoused. And we will not ignore the future of our planet. We will deliver the President's *full agenda* once the Senate passes the Build Back Better Act."
"What they want to do is split them apart, force a vote on the [reconciliation bill] and because we have such narrow margins in the Senate and the House... the read that we have is that they'll just dump the [reconciliation bill], leave the other one out to dry and just never actually vote on it," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, said Wednesday on MSNBC.
If House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is forced to pull the Thursday infrastructure vote -- or if it fails -- it will be a major blow to Democrats and President Biden. But it won't necessarily be a fatal blow to either that or the reconciliation bill. They can bring both up at a later time.
And with Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., continuing negotiations with Biden on reconciliation, it's possible there is a breakthrough Thursday, though it's exceedingly unlikely.
If the vote comes up without a deal, the math looks bleak for the infrastructure bill. Only about a dozen Republicans are expected to vote for the infrastructure bill, while progressives claim about three to four dozen of their members will vote against it. Democrats only have a three-seat majority.
Posted by Tyler Olson
6 hour(s) ago
8 hour(s) ago
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said Wednesday that he would not support "spending trillions more" on social programs, highlighting an ongoing dispute between the moderate Democrat and party leaders that threatens to derail negotiations on President Biden’s $3.5 trillion spending bill.
In a lengthy statement on the negotiations, Manchin said he has "made clear to the President and Democratic leaders" that it would be the "definition of fiscal insanity" to greenlight more spending despite funding shortages for social security and Medicare. Manchin also cited concerns about the potential impact to inflation and the shaky U.S. economic recovery.
"While I am hopeful that common ground can be found that would result in another historic investment in our nation, I cannot – and will not - support trillions in spending or an all or nothing approach that ignores the brutal fiscal reality our nation faces," Manchin said. "There is a better way and I believe we can find it if we are willing to continue to negotiate in good faith."
Posted by Edmund DeMarche
8 hour(s) ago
House lawmakers voted 219-212, mostly along party lines, in favor of a standalone bill to suspend the borrowing limit. The bill will proceed to the Senate, where Republican lawmakers are expected to vote it down, as they have with two previous Democratic efforts to raise the debt ceiling.
Posted by Edmund DeMarche
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