When the White House began narrowing in on a reconciliation deal with Manchinema in recent days, they made a promise to progressives on Capitol Hill, according to multiple people familiar with the talks: Whatever Build Back Better (BBB) "framework" was agreed to between President JOE BIDEN and the pair of moderate Senate Democrats would be run by progressives for final approval before a deal was announced, allowing them to call foul if they had a problem. Now the White House has moved ahead with an announcement — sans the approval of the left. But that's not all: Speaker NANCY PELOSI is trying to pressure progressives into voting for the bipartisan infrastructure legislation (BIF) without a roll call — or even legislative text — on the larger Build Back Better package. (Remember: Progressives have long said no BIF without BBB.) — The timing: In a private caucus meeting this morning, Pelosi told members she wants a BIF vote before Biden lands in Europe tonight for the climate summit. She also told members "that she plans to hold the vote open on the floor if she needs to," per Sarah Ferris and Heather Caygle. — The pitch: She told members not to "embarrass" the president by voting down the bipartisan infrastructure bill, per CNN's Manu Raju. But already there are signs that this heavy-handed approach isn't working, even as Pelosi's whip team kicks into high gear. — "I want to see it improved," Sen. BERNIE SANDERS told our Burgess Everett, even as he called the framework the "most consequential bill since the 1960s," albeit with "major gaps." He wants his Medicare expansion and prescription drug reform language restored. "Before there is a vote in the House on the infrastructure bill, members of the House have a right to know that 50 U.S. senators are supporting a strong reconciliation bill." — In the House, the left is also balking on BIF right now. As our Hill team reports, leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus "insist that roughly 30 of their members need to see an ironclad commitment that both Sens. JOE MANCHIN and KYRSTEN SINEMA will vote for the party-line spending plan, along with legislative text at a minimum. A group of roughly 10 to 15 Democrats also say they'll be satisfied with nothing less than a full House vote on the broader social policy bill, according to multiple sources close to the discussions." If it's any indication of how things are going, the ever-quotable Rep. RASHIDA TLAIB (D-Mich.) emerged from the progressives' confab with a simple message, per Nicholas Wu: "Hell no on BIF." THERE'S ALSO THIS LITTLE PROBLEM: BIDEN DIDN'T SELL IT. This entire episode looks similar to what happened in late September, when House Democratic leaders hoped Biden would come to the Hill and say to progressives: Vote for this damn BIF, and vote for it now. But once again, he didn't. And progressives picked up on that. "He did not ask for a vote on the BIF today," Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-Wash.) said right after the meeting. "The speaker did, but he did not. He said he wants votes on both bills." (By the way, Biden gets some rough marks for his dealmaking skills. According to the latest AP-NORC poll, 36% of Americans say they approve of Biden's handling of the reconciliation negotiations, with 41% disapproving. More from AP's Kevin Freking and Hannah Fingerhut) SO WHERE IS THIS GOING? Good question. It's interesting that most House progressives appear to be scoffing at the sequencing of the votes more than the content of the BBB framework itself. Does that mean they're going to go along with the framework and are just putting up a little fight on timing in the meantime to make it look like they held the line? We'll see. Meanwhile, Biden, in a speech just before lunch, called for his party to come together to get his agenda passed: "No one got everything they wanted, including me, but that's what compromise is. That's consensus. And that's what I ran on. … I know it's hard. I know how deeply [people] feel about the things they fight for." MORE ON THE "DEAL," if you can call it that: — What's in: $1.75 trillion worth of spending; a one year extension of enhanced child tax credit; Affordable Care Act credits through 2025; expanded Medicare coverage for hearing; $150 billion for home care; 2 years free pre-K; $555 billion in clean energy incentives; a 15% corporate minimum tax and surtax on millionaires; $200 billion for deficit deduction — What's out: Prescription drug pricing negotiation; Medicare coverage of dental and vision; paid leave; corporate tax rate increases; free college. More from Sarah Ferris, Heather Caygle, Nicholas Wu and Eugene — What's left to figure out: Could prescription drug reform make a comeback? Sinema reached an agreement with Biden on the issue, sources told our colleagues Burgess Everett and Alice Miranda Ollstein . But a Biden administration official said there are "not yet enough votes" for it to be included. Progressives haven't bought into the current shape of the provisions and think they're insufficient. Good Thursday afternoon. Are you tired yet?!? |
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