House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Tuesday has reportedly promised the Democrat caucus the reconciliation package will receive a House vote before Congress slinks off into recess next week.
Pelosi reportedly said “before we leave” for recess, a vote will be held on President Biden’s $1.85 trillion reconciliation package full of far-left goodies. Yet “Pelosi indicated members of her caucus are still debating immigration, drug pricing negotiations and climate change,” Politico Playbook reported.
Not every Democrat agrees with Pelosi’s timetable. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) reportedly told reporters a vote on the massive package would not come until “after next week’s recess.”
Democrat leadership has struggled to whip their party into line to pass Biden’s agenda. Last week, Biden and Pelosi failed to gain enough “yes” votes on Capital Hill before the president flew to Europe.
The failed attempt to pass the agenda was reportedly seen as an embarrassment by Pelosi. “I thought we looked terrible, and we need to make good on this,” she said.
As Pelosi has not surrendered her seemingly eternal optimism, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) signaled Monday he will oppose Biden’s agenda. Manchin described the reconciliation package as a “shell game” filled with “budget gimmicks” that will cost twice the amount of the estimated $1.85 trillion package.
The reconciliation package has not yet been scored by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which provides budget and economic information to Congress.
While months have passed without a deal between “moderates” and the far-left, Democrat leadership appears desperate to get a win under their belt for the 2022 midterms.
The Democrats have already missed an opportunity to pass legislation before the Virginia gubernatorial race that could have benefited the Democrat candidate. Politico reported Monday both Democrat Virginia senators admitted that passing legislation at the federal level would have helped Virginia candidate Terry McAuliffe.
“I wish they would have, and I’m just being really selfish,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) said. “It would have been helpful in Virginia to have these bills done in mid-October instead of mid-November.”
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) supported Kaine’s opinion. “Clearly, showing that we can make progress would have been nice,” Warner said.
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