The House Budget Committee decided Saturday to bring the $3.5 trillion spending measure to the House floor after passing it out of committee.
Chairman John Yarmuth, D-Ky., prepares for the House Budget Committee hearing on The President's 2021 Budget, in Cannon Building.
House Budget Democrats Approved $3.5 Trillion Spending Plan
In a recently published article in POLITICO, House Budget Democrats approved their $3.5 trillion spending proposal in a rare Saturday session, sending over 2,400 pages of language to the floor as the party seeks to indicate progress on the mammoth measure ahead of a crucial week.
The bill passed on a party-line vote at the start of a nearly eight-hour markup that included discussion and voting on nonbinding Republican motions on topics including inflation, abortion, and electric car tax credits, all of which were rejected.
Furthermore, the Democratic-dominated panel passed the proposal on a near party-line vote of 20-17, which met electronically. According to a published report in CNN News, the bill's passage marked a crucial but modest procedural check for Democrats, bringing it one step closer to full House discussion.
Pelosi Wants To Bring $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill Next Week To the House Floor
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement on Saturday that she intends to bring the massive economic package, as well as a separate, bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill to the House floor next week, which includes funding for roads and bridges, transit and rail, broadband, and upgrades for airports, ports, and waterways.
Although the more comprehensive economic package has not been completed, the bipartisan infrastructure measure is set for a vote on Monday. Progressives have said they would not support the bipartisan infrastructure bill without the broader economic package per WBRZ.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, echoing Pelosi, said in a statement Saturday that the economic plan would be presented to the House floor next week, despite internal divisions over its breadth and disagreements with Senate Democrats over its cost.
Biden Confident that He Would Sign an Infrastructure Package
Even though the White House and Democratic congressional leaders announced a deal on a framework for a "menu of options" to fund the bills earlier this week, Biden admitted on Friday that negotiations on Capitol Hill over his economic plan had reached a "stalemate," citing sharp differences between moderate and progressive members of his party as a threat to derail his plans.
The President stated at the White House on Friday that he was optimistic that Democrats would reach a deal and that he would sign the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the $3.5 trillion plan to extend the nation's social safety net into law, according to a published report in WION News.
Meanwhile, Democrats are rushing to reach an agreement as they approach a series of deadlines this fall. Congress must approve legislation to finance the federal government by September 30 and raise the debt limit by mid-October to pay the country's debts.
Senate Democrats want to approve a bipartisan measure next week that addresses both of these problems. On the other hand, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has advised them to raise the debt limit on their own if they want to enact new legislation costing billions of dollars.
Related Article: Biden's $3.5 Trillion Tax Hike Explained: What It Means for Wealthy Americans, Corporations
