In a letter to House Democrats, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said "more time is needed" regarding ongoing negotiations for President Biden's Build Back Better agenda.
"Today, President Biden honored us with his first in-person visit to our Caucus. He received a hero’s welcome," Pelosi wrote in the letter. "His presentation on the values of the Biden vision was warmly and enthusiastically received."
Insisting that "great progress has been made" through negotiations with Democrats, Pelosi told her colleagues that "more time is needed to complete the task."
"While great progress has been made in the negotiations to develop a House, Senate and White House agreement on the Build Back Better Act, more time is needed to complete the task," Pelosi wrote. "Our priority to create jobs in the health care, family and climate agendas is a shared value. Our Chairs are still working for clarity and consensus. Clearly, the Bipartisan Infrastructure bill will pass once we have agreement on the reconciliation bill."
Speaking to reporters after a closed door meeting with the Progressive caucus, Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal, who serves as chair of the caucus, told reporters that "the bipartisan bill is not happening tonight."
"Tonight, on the bipartisan bill, no that's not that is the bipartisan bill is not happening tonight," Jayapal said. "I think the President was very clear about that."
Jayapal also insisted that President Biden is "going to stay very involved" in moving negotiations forward, saying that "if we are going to think about anything less than the number what we would rather do is get as many things in as possible" and "shorten" timelines.
"I think the President is going to stay very involved he has been really involved for the last several days he's not always out in front of the cameras but, but he has I know he has been doing really hard work and been really involved and I expect that he will continue because don't forget, this is the President's agenda."
Fox News' Kelly Phares contributed to this update.
{{#rendered}}Speaking to Fox News, House members say President Joe Biden made it clear that the reconciliation bill and the infrastructure bill were linked together. They also stated that Biden did not ask for Democrats to come together and vote on infrastructure today.
In addition, House members also told Fox News that Biden recommended they come down from $3.5 trillion to closer to $2 trillion for a reconciliation deal.
Fox News’ Hillary Vaughn contributed to this update.
House progressives are now meeting in the basement of the Capitol. Those who are taking part in the discussion have been instructed to leave their phones on a table outside of the meeting.
Fox News' Kelly Phares contributed to this update.
Following a meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, President Biden told reporters he will "get it done" when it comes to a deal on the infrastructure bill.
"We're going to get this done," Biden said. "It doesn't matter when. It doesn't matter whether it's in six minutes, six days, or six weeks. We're going to get it done."
{{#rendered}}Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal acknowledged that the total price tag of the controversial spending bill currently being debated on Capitol Hill will have to be lowered in order to push it through Congress.
"We’re going to have to come down in our number," Jayapal said Friday after leaving a meeting on Capitol Hill that included the House Democratic caucus and President Biden. "We're going to get to work and see what we can do."
Jayapal said that Democrats will attempt to vote on the surface transportation bill on Friday night but will not vote on the infrastructure bill today.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki acknowledged Friday that President Joe Biden is likely to receive only a portion of his proposed $3.5 trillion spending package, saying "compromise is necessary" and "inevitable."
"He understands that he might not get absolutely everything he wants in this package, and others may not get absolutely everything they want in this package, but I'm not going to outline it further from here," Psaki said at a briefing, noting that the White House is attempting to "gather all the views, gather all the voices, figure out what everyone's for, and get both pieces of legislation passed."
"What we're working toward is unifying a path to get both of these packages done," Psaki told reporters. "Compromise is necessary, it's inevitable."
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{{#rendered}}The White House took digs at congressional Republicans, saying there is "no real courage" from House members to support the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
During the White House’s daily press conference on Friday, press secretary Jen Psaki was asked by Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich if the White House believes the progressives in Congress were to blame for the hold-up of infrastructure and budget reconciliation bills in the House that has furloughed thousands of Department of Transportation workers.
In response, Psaki suggested that Senate Republicans who voted against the measure were pressured by party leadership and "special interests" to do so.
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"I'm not going to make a prediction on whether there will or will not be a vote," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Friday. "I'll leave that to Speaker Pelosi."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is privately gauging how many votes she would have for the bipartisan infrastructure bill after delaying the vote late Thursday.
She is currently weighing whether to bring the vote to the floor, sources told Fox News. Progressives are still vowing to vote against the bill unless they not only get an agreement on the social spending reconciliation bill, but also a vote.
The White House is also speaking with moderate Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema to persuade them to agree to a $2.1 trillion reconciliation deal, as they have both said they will not support the $3.5 trillion price tag.
President Biden is currently on his way to the Hill to talk with members of the House Democratic Caucus, Fox News confirmed.
The House is also drafting a 30-day extension of the surface transportation bill that expires today, in case the bipartisan bill is delayed or fails.
{{#rendered}}Sen. Kyrsten Sinema left Washington, D.C., for Phoenix and will conduct remote negotiations on the reconciliation bill.
"Senator Sinema is in Phoenix where she has a medical appointment today, and where she continues remote negotiations with the White House," her office said in a statement.
Sinema pushed back on a progressive reconciliation bill costing $3.5 trillion, doubling-down on Thursday that she would not support such a high price tag.
“Sen. Sinema said publicly more than two months ago, before Senate passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill, that she would not support a bill costing $3.5 trillion,” she said in a statement posted on Twitter. “In August, she shared detailed concerns and priorities, including dollar figures, directly with Senate Majority Leader [Charles] Schumer and the White House.”
3,700 employees of the U.S. Transportation Department were temporarily furloughed after Congress failed to reauthorize surface transportation programs ahead of a deadline Friday.
The agency is "taking every step we can to mitigate the impacts of this temporary lapse in authorization," a department spokesperson said Friday.
President Biden will head to the Hill on Friday to speak with members of the House Democratic Caucus, Fox News confirmed.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is meanwhile privately gauging how many votes she has for a vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill, sources told Fox News.
{{#rendered}}House Speaker Nancy Pelosi talked a big game that President Biden’s $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill would pass this week. Progressive members of the House, however, flexed their legislative muscle Thursday evening, spurring Pelosi to call off the effort to pass the bill after negotiations on the reconciliation bill stalled.
Pelosi said the bill would pass, vowing Sunday to never bring "a bill to the floor that doesn't have the votes." But her attempt to get the bill to the floor for a vote was thwarted after progressives warned her that "a majority of our members will only vote for the infrastructure bill after the President’s visionary Build Back Better Act passes."
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said a deal on reconciliation framework would not be enough for her to vote for the bipartisan infrastructure package.
Ocasio-Cortez said the reconciliation package must be passed before the infrastructure plan is brought to the floor for a vote.
“No. We need to vote,” Ocasio-Cortez said Friday.
“At the end of the day, we're laser focused on trying to make sure that we establish universal pre-K, free community college, expanding Medicare. That's what we want to deliver for people and that's what we're fighting for,” she added.
Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal said Friday that progressives are still waiting for a counter offer to their $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill, adding "there is no number on the table and I'm not negotiating against myself."
"So until we get that, we don't have anything to say about numbers. So if you asked me about whether I'm willing to accept a number or not, there's no number on the table and I'm not negotiating against myself," she said Friday.
She added that she believes President Biden is "deeply involved" with the process and is "grateful" for his leadership.
"I think President Biden is deeply involved. I can promise you that he is deeply engaged in trying to iron out these differences and I'm grateful to him for his leadership. First of all for his agenda, because again this is the president's agenda we're fighting for. And secondly for his involvement. You know, the President has had a tremendous amount on his desk. Would I have preferred that he, you know, engage sooner on the reconciliation bill? Sure. But we had a number of other issues come up, and I feel like he's really doing what he needs to be doing right now."
{{#rendered}}Immigration protesters stopped traffic on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge for more than 30 minutes Thursday morning, urging Congress to pass a citizenship bill through the budget reconciliation process.
"Immigrant communities cannot wait another 20 years of failed promises. An inclusive pathway to citizenship would boost the U.S. economy," organizers of the protest said in a statement.
About 25 cars stopped traffic at around 7 a.m. on the bridge, and protesters delivered speeches from a bed of a truck and held banners reading, "Pass the $3.5 trillion spending bill," "Override the Parliamentarian," "Kamala: Override the Parliamentarian," and "Citizenship for All."
Sen. Bernie Sanders took aim at moderate Democrats Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema for demanding the $3.5 trillion social spending proposal be trimmed back.
"2 senators cannot be allowed to defeat what 48 senators and 210 House members want. We must stand with the working families of our country. We must combat climate change. We must delay passing the Infrastructure Bill until we pass a strong Reconciliation Bill," Sanders tweeted Friday.
Sinema joined Manchin on Thursday in doubling down against the high price tag.
“Sen. Sinema said publicly more than two months ago, before Senate passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill, that she would not support a bill costing $3.5 trillion,” she said in a statement posted on Twitter. “In August, she shared detailed concerns and priorities, including dollar figures, directly with Senate Majority Leader [Charles] Schumer and the White House.”
Manchin has said he will not support a bill that costs more than $1.5 trillion.
Moderate Democrats in the House remain perplexed about the state of affairs on the $1 trillion infrastructure and $3.5 trillion reconciliation bills, according to Fox News's Chad Pergram.
Moderate Democrats say progressives' demands that the Senate vote first on the social spending plan is absurd, and don’t want to walk away from a deal.
But as it was put to Fox, if the issue is spending a lot of money, which is too much or doing nothing, moderate Democrats and centrists would prefer to do nothing.
Moderate Democrats don’t want to have to walk the plank on a big spending package, which they aren’t too enthused about, unless they get something they really want: The infrastructure deal.
{{#rendered}}Liberal Rep. Mark Pocan slammed moderate Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema following Sen. Joe Manchin saying he won't support a $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill pushed by progressives in his party.
“I think those negotiations have started now, so… this has probably helped some things move loose,” Pocan said, after Manchin declared he wants a $1.5 trillion price tag for the reconciliation bill.
Pocan then added a jab at Manchin's fellow moderate in the party, Sinema, focusing on her fashion choices.
“Half of Manchinema has now shown us something. Waiting for the other half to show us something other than a designer purse," Pocan added.
Sen. Bernie Sanders said the infrastructure bill should be "defeated" and slammed the late-night attempts to strike a deal.
"It is an absurd way to do business, to be negotiating a multi-trillion-dollar bill a few minutes before a major vote with virtually nobody knowing what's going on. That's unacceptable. And I think what has got to happen is that tonight, the bipartisan infrastructure bill must be defeated," Sanders said Thursday evening.
"So I want to see the infrastructure bill passed, but it's absolutely imperative that we pass a strong, reconciliation bill that deals with the needs of working families, and it deals with the existential threat of climate change," he continued.
U.S. Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio., Bill Cassidy, R-La., Susan Collins, R-Maine, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska., and Mitt Romney, R-Utah, issued a statement late Thursday after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi delayed a vote on the infrastructure bill.
“While we are disappointed the House of Representatives did not meet its deadline to vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill, we remain hopeful the House will come together in a spirit of bipartisanship just as the Senate did and pass this important piece of legislation," the statement read. "This bill is critically important to modernizing and upgrading everything from our roads and bridges to broadband and increasing the resiliency of the nation’s electrical grid. It will strengthen our economy over the long term and have a positive impact on the lives of every single American. It deserves the strong support of both parties."
{{#rendered}}Congressional Democrats Thursday night called off an effort to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill through the House after negotiations on their reconciliation bill stalled, leaving the two major pieces of President Biden's economic agenda in limbo.
The failure to pass the infrastructure bill so far this week – and the failure to come to an agreement on what the reconciliation bill should look like – were major blows to congressional Democrats and the president. And they underscore both Democrats' razor-thin majorities in Congress and their internal divisions.
But the two bills were not necessarily dead yet, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., continued to express optimism as she left the Capitol early Friday morning.
"We're not trillions apart," she said at 12:01 a.m. "There'll be a vote today."
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Coverage for this event has ended.