Democrats' explode in frustration over stalled reconciliation spending spree: 'It's the effing progressives'
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
As Democrats' face a self-imposed deadline to pass a sweeping reconciliation spending bill and a bipartisan infrastructure plan they appear in danger of doing neither - again.
President Biden is leaving the United States Thursday for an international trip that will include, among other things, a climate summit. The president had made clear he wanted have an agreement among Democrats about what the reconciliation deal will look like, and to sign the infrastructure bill, so that he can tout the climate provisions in both.
"Here's the thing: The president looked at us in the eye and he said, 'I need this before I go represent the United States in Glasgow,'" Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said on "Fox News Sunday."
"American prestige is on the line," he added.
There's been nonstop talks: Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., were at the White House Tuesday night, as was House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, D-S.C. The Congressional Black Caucus was there too, where they say they had "a full dialogue" with Biden.
And Democrat leaders have projected sunny optimism - House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said Tuesday that a deal could come in a matter of "hours."
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One did not come Tuesday. And a deal appears unlikely Wednesday or Thursday either, unless Democrats can suddenly overcome stumbling blocks on policies from Medicaid expansion to immigration to a billionaires tax to an IRS bank account reporting requirement and more.
"We're not doing everything today," Manchin said Wednesday.
The frustration is starting to boil over among some members.
"It's the effing progressives," one moderate Democrat told Fox News. The moderate accused progressives of asking for "unreasonable things."
Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., pointed the finger right back at moderate Democrats.
"It seems to me almost every sensible progressive revenue option that the President wants, that the American people want, that I want, seems to be sabotaged."
At least some progressives, meanwhile, are rejecting the idea pushed by top Democrats that an agreement on a framework of a reconciliation bill would be enough for progressives to ilft their blockade on the infrastructure bill. They instead want a reconciliation bill text ready to pass through the House on the same day as the infrastructure because they don't trust moderates to hold up their end of any bargain.
"It's not really about the sequencing. It's about voting both of them on the same day," Jayapal said Tuesday. "So, in other words, what I don't want is a framework."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., disagreed when asked about whether a framework on reconciliation would be enough to pass infrastructure.
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"Well I think it is," she said.
Other Democrats, meanwhile, appear more open to moving quickly on infrastructure.
"I don't think we're in a position to keep kicking the can down the road," Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, said Tuesday.
"Is it perfect?" Beatty said when asked how she feels about the reconciliation bill, and whether a deal is close. "We don't live in a perfect world, and we're not going to give you a perfect answer, but I'm going to give you another 'P,' and it's called progress."
But Jayapal claims to have "dozens" of her Progressive Caucus members willing to tank an infrastructure vote without a reconciliation vote - and with Democrats' tight margins that is more than enough.
It isn't mandatory that Democrats finish either bill this month. They can pass a temporary extension of federal highway funding to either the end of November or December to buy more time to pass infrastructure.
But the longer talks drag, the closer Democrats get to being caught up in a December morass of deadlines on the debt limit and funding the government. And if talks drag beyond December, it will suddenly be an election year and added pressures on members may cause any deal to break down.
But for this week, all eyes will be on whether the House will send the president to his climate summit in the United Kingdom with a win on infrastructure - or if it will delay an infrastructure for lack for a reconciliation deal again, just like last month.
"I pray to God they don't," Manchin said Wednesday of another potential delay.
FOX Business' Caroline McKee, Kelly Phares, Jason Donner and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
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Looks like herding Democratic cats is too much for the likes of Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, and Chuck Schumer.
The Progressive Caucus seems to be the ones in charge, as Pelosi has stated any times she would bring the real infrastructure bill to a vote, only to renig on her promise every time.
This is what happens when a political party acts like it has a mandate from the people with a miniscule majority.
Yep, I do hate when that happens. They do a poll asking questions about various parts of the plan and take any single yes answer as a mandate for the entire bill... And this one is a real shame as while I don't like everything that is in the bi-partisan infrastructure bill it's at least got some good things in it that deal with actual crumbling infrastructure that needs to be fixed. but the way this is going, nothing will get passed and they will just continue to blame each other..
Such a waste...
Hopefully the Democrats will continue to waste away until after midterms.
If the Republicans were smart (I know, I know. it is an oxymoron), they would be working on getting their own plan together on border security, immigration, infrastructure, economy, crime, taxation, and health care. That way after mid terms they could hit the ground running; and put real pressure on Biden to at least come back to the middle. Instead we are getting a lot of silence as they watch the Democrats self destruct.
Voting for Republicans because "they are not Democrats"; is as stupid as voting for Biden because "he isn't Trump". Neither reason qualifies anyone as being capable of leading. But it seems that is what we will be stuck with. I am not going to hold my breath that Republicans are suddenly going to change.
except they didn't get what they want, so not really.
Up until now they have. Will they get the latest? We shall see.
What have they gotten other than press time? They don't have their Green New Deal, they don't have expanded Medicare... so far I'm not seeing all that much progressiveness going on. The child credit maybe...but that was something Joe ran on and pushed through, not the Progressive Caucus.
Yes, we'll see. They'll obviously get something. That's the way government works - give and take. They aren't getting a whole 3.5T wish list.
And yes, I find it interesting Pelosi hasn't managed the Progressive Caucus better. The populism in the left is no better than the populism on the right, in my opinion. Both are going to find it hard to govern on their own without compromise.
No, but they ARE the reason Nancy has had to not do what she promised--hold a vote on the real infrastructure bill.
Democratic shenanigans are responsible for what is going on.
And it's raining here today... I don't get why that's newsworthy. It will get done... eventually and it won't be the titanic porkulous bill originally conceived. It will be a smaller giant porkulous bill. No free state college money.
Holding a bill hostage is being in control and Ms. Pelosi seems to be unable to get them united on anything so the country suffers.
So by that comment, you support the bill?
An infrastructure bill would nice but Progressive will not vote on it.
What I want seems to be irrelevant, yes?
There are some on your side that don't even want that.
So? Do you have a point here on the seed or just want to pick at something?
I just think it is funny you are going to defy some in your party.
By the way, just because I asked a question, it means I want to pick something?
Why, got something to hide?
Still picking because you have nothing substantial to contribute.
Seems your party is fucking things up for rest of the country...sad.
Asking if you support the bill is picking?
You need to get out more...
And what are your thoughts on it?
I think it should be trimmed down which it sounds like some are trying to do.
The infrastructure bill or the 3.5 trillion bill?
Not the infrastructure bill. I think that should be done on its own.
Well that is what I said in my first comment so we agree and the additional jabbing about me defying my party was not really necessary now was it?
You have a nice day.
No, you blamed Pelosi and said the country would suffer, thus I asked...
Doesn't matter, The bill is sitting in the House after passing the Senate with bipartisan support.
Joe Biden fucked the whole thing up with his proclamation that the bill HE negotiated would be "in tandem" with the bigger Democratic wishlist bill AFTER having said nothing about that prior.
And now Democrats are obstructing.
You wanna see Democrat's heads explode?
If true and it holds up, about all I can say is OMG and pass the popcorn...
Extra butter please.
But, but, but Democrats declared those tax cuts to be AWFUL.
But now they decide they aren't too bad?