Pelosi says Democrats plan to have ‘agreement’ on spending bill and vote on bipartisan infrastructure bill next week
CNN
By Veronica Stracqualursi and Daniella Diaz, CNN
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday that the “plan” is for there to be an “agreement” on a framework for the Democrats’ budget reconciliation package and a vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill next week.
“That’s the plan,” she told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”
Asked if they’ll have a deal on the Democrats’ spending bill by the time President Joe Biden leaves for Europe next week, Pelosi said, “I think we’re pretty much there now.”
“We’re almost there. It’s just the language of it, but it will not offend, shall we say, the concern that Sen. (Joe) Manchin had about the (Clean Electricity Performance Program), but nonetheless, the point is to reach a goal,” she said.
Pelosi expressed optimism that the particulars of the bill will be finalized during a Sunday morning meeting between Biden, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Manchin, who has been one of two key holdouts on the package, at the President’s home in Delaware.
She again stressed that Congress needs to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill by October 31 before an extension for funding for surface transportation expires, and “we have to get billions of dollars someplace to continue that.”
Pelosi also said that potential ways to pay for the Democrats’ social safety net bill could include international taxes, billionaires’ tax and IRS tax enforcement, now that corporate tax rate increases won’t be considered because of Arizona Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s objection to them.
“This is a Senate proposal, and they’re supposedly writing it today, tomorrow they would introduce it,” she said specifically about the tax proposal part of the reconciliation bill.
Her deputy chief of staff and spokesperson Drew Hammill quickly clarified that Pelosi meant only the tax proposal is being advanced in the Senate in a tweet sent during Pelosi’s on-air interview.
This story has been updated with additional information from Pelosi’s interview.
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