the clock is ticking

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."

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."