WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Before leaving for Rome, President Joe Biden visited Capitol Hill on Thursday to present the new framework of his Build Back Better plan to House Democrats. Despite the president’s latest announcement, progressive Democrats are still on the fence about whether to proceed.
“I know we have a historic framework,” the president said.
Biden’s latest pitch for his plan features a much lower price tag.
“It’s a framework that will create millions of jobs, grow the economy, invest in our nation and our people,” the president said.
The $1.75 trillion social spending bill cuts out some of the initial promises.
“No one got everything they wanted, including me, but that’s what compromise is. That’s consensus,” Biden said.
However, House progressives say they are not comfortable proceeding until they know for sure that moderate Senate Democrats will sign on.
“He said he’s confident he can get the votes. It wasn’t I think, it wasn’t clear whether the two senators committed to vote for it,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said.
“We need both bills to ride together and we don’t have that right now. Also I feel a little bit bamboozled because this is not what I thought was coming today,” Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) says she expects Democrats to support the president after reviewing the bill’s text.
“We’ll see what consensus emerges from that, but we’re really very much on a path,” Pelosi said.
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) says this process shows nothing but incompetence.
“When the White House rushes out a framework, hours before the president comes to the Hill, you know they are desperate and just grasping for straws,” McCarthy said.
When asked if the House would take the bills up for a vote today, Pelosi did not answer.