Biden pressures Congress to advance his economic agenda 'right now' in wake of positive jobs report
Well, you heard the man.
During Friday remarks on the October jobs report, President Biden issued what CNN has called "one of his most explicit public exhortations" yet for Democrats to immediately pass his sweeping economic agenda, legislation that has, for weeks, been languishing in congressional purgatory.
"Passing these bills will say clearly to the American people, 'We hear your voices. We're going to invest in your hopes, help you secure a brighter future for yourself and your family and make sure America wins the future in the process," Biden decreed. "I'm asking every House member, member of the House of Representatives to vote yes on both these bills right now. Send the infrastructure bill to my desk, send the Build Back Better bill to the Senate."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
House Democrats have said they are close — but not quite there yet — on advancing both the Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure framework and the party's spending package, which they had long asked to move through the chamber together. Now, though leaders believed a vote to be imminent, a handful of House moderates are vowing to "vote against the massive social safety net bill without further guarantees on offsetting its cost," Politico writes. Even then, the $1.75 trillion bill could face another uphill battle upon its arrival to the evenly-split Senate.
The passage of both bills is just another way the country can ensure the "recovery is fully felt," Biden explained Friday, noting he was about to do some lobbying himself. "I'm gonna be headed over there very quickly -- shortly after I do this press conference -- back to my office to make some calls."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
-
House GOP revolt forces vote on ACA subsidiesSpeed Read The new health care bill would lower some costs but not extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies
-
Hegseth rejects release of full boat strike footageSpeed Read There are calls to release video of the military killing two survivors of a Sept. 2 missile strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat
-
Trump vows naval blockade of most Venezuelan oilSpeed Read The announcement further escalates pressure on President Nicolás Maduro
-
Kushner drops Trump hotel project in SerbiaSpeed Read Affinity Partners pulled out of a deal to finance a Trump-branded development in Belgrade
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center



