House Democrats announced Friday that they will delay for the second time this week a vote on their $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act.
Democrat leadership said they would hold a vote on the $1.75 trillion reconciliation legislation on Thursday, although it remains possible that they could move forward on the $1.2 trillion so-called bipartisan infrastructure bill, or the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) made the announcement, which serves as a significant setback for Democrats to pass their mammoth legislation.
Democrats had initially hoped to have a vote on their Build Back Better Act on Thursday, but it was delayed after Democrat leadership could not cobble the votes together.
Moderate Democrats have demanded a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis of the Build Back Better Act to understand the fiscal of the bill.
However, this complicates matters as a CBO score is not expected until the week of Thanksgiving.
The moderates’ demands follow after the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) found that although the bill would raise nearly $1.48 trillion in tax revenue, it would still add significantly to the nation’s debt.
Democrats hope to pass trillions in infrastructure spending as Americans continue to face the brunt of skyrocketing inflation.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) chair, rejected the possibility of voting on the bipartisan bill without also voting on the Build Back Better Act.
“There are dozens of our members who want to vote on both bills. If our six colleagues still want to wait for a CBO score, we would agree to give them that time — after which point we can vote on both bills together,” the progressive said.
Reports suggest that roughly six moderate Democrats want to see a CBO score of the bill before they vote for the $1.75 trillion bill.
The chaos in Pelosi’s House continues as Biden has implored Democrats to vote for his dual infrastructure bills; his overtures to House Democrats have appeared to not make a difference.
“I’m asking every House member – member of the House of Representatives – to vote ‘yes’ on both these bills right now,” the 46th president said.
Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.
