With Democratic factions unable to reach an agreement on a broader spending package, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) late Thursday delayed the vote on a more than $1 trillion infrastructure plan, pushing it to Friday.
The bipartisan bill calls for billions of dollars to upgrade the country's roads, bridges, ports, and broadband access. Progressive House Democrats said they would block the bill until moderates agreed to support some iteration of the $3.5 trillion Build Back Better Act, which expands the child tax credit, funds elder care and paid leave programs, and fights climate change.
For most of Thursday, Pelosi and several of President Biden's top aides met with progressives, hoping to get them on board, but Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, stood firm, telling reporters her members won't vote for the infrastructure bill until Senate Democrats commit to the reconciliation bill. Two moderate Democratic senators — Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) — are unwilling to move forward on the Build Back Better package, citing cost and other, often unspecified objetions.