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.
-
Why is Trump threatening defense firms?Talking Points CEO pay and stock buybacks will be restricted
-
How Utah became a media focal pointIn Depth From #MomTok to reality TV gems, Utah has emerged as a media powerhouse
-
‘The security implications are harder still to dismiss’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
-
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’
