WASHINGTON — President Biden was blunt. Democrats had to rally behind his $1.85 trillion economic and environmental spending bill, he told them on Thursday, because nothing less than his presidency was at stake.“I don’t think it’s hyperbole,” he said as he unveiled a revised proposal and pleaded with Democratic lawmakers to support it during a last-minute morning meeting at the Capitol, hours before he left for a six-day trip to Europe to meet with world leaders.“The House and Senate majorities and my presidency will be determined by what happens in the next week,” Mr. Biden told the lawmakers during the hourlong session, according to a person who was at the meeting.The president’s proposals, while about half as costly as his original plan, still amount to a transformative agenda that would touch the lives of millions of Americans and serve as the core of his party’s argument to stay in power through the 2022 midterm elections and the 2024 presidential contest.And even as party members have engaged in a fierce, ideological debate among themselves, the monthslong negotiation has thrown into stark relief the differences between Democrats and Republicans, almost all of whom have refused to back spending on child care, climate change, preschool, expanded Medicare services, free community college or higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy.Mr. Biden and his aides gambled on Thursday, effectively calling for a final decision on his economic and environmental agenda and daring holdout Democrats not to back it. Senior administration officials said that the decision to go all-in was a product of the president’s belief that he had exhausted all avenues in the talks and secured the best possible package he could — and, crucially, that the package could command support from all corners of a fickle Democratic caucus.But as he prepared to land in Rome, Mr. Biden’s bet had not yet paid off. He had not ended months of intraparty squabbling that has dragged down his poll ratings, jeopardized Democratic candidates and raised deep doubts among Americans that his presidency can deliver on the promises of a vast social and economic agenda.In the closed-door session on Thursday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Democratic lawmakers that “when the president gets off that plane, we want him to have a vote of confidence from this Congress.” She urged them to vote on Thursday on a separate, bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure measure that progressives have seen as their best leverage to ensure passage of the rest of Mr. Biden’s agenda.Instead, for the second time in a month, Ms. Pelosi pulled back from plans on that vote after progressive Democrats objected again. They ignored the president’s entreaties, signaling their continued mistrust of moderate Democratic senators, whom they fear will not back Mr. Biden’s larger social spending bill when it finally comes to a vote.Senior White House officials shrugged off the setback, saying the president’s formal request on Thursday set in motion the final act of a monthslong political drama. They expressed confidence that votes on both bills would happen soon. The bickering among Democrats would fade, one senior official said, when Americans started seeing the benefits of Mr. Biden’s plans, like when the administration breaks ground next year on new electric vehicle charging stations. The official asked for anonymity to speak about closed-door negotiations. Administration officials also said they were not surprised by the public comments from Senators Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, moderate Democrats who had forced the original $3.5 trillion proposal to be halved. The two delivered halfhearted statements that pointedly did not promise that they would support the president’s new framework for a deal on the spending bill.But White House officials concluded that it was time for Mr. Biden to put down his final marker, explicitly asking Democratic lawmakers for their support on a specific proposal. Having the president leave for a week on his trip without doing so would have left the process in limbo, administration officials said.ImageMr. Biden presented the final, detailed outline for the spending bill, which he said he was confident would earn the support of every Democratic senator.Credit...Sarahbeth Maney/The New York TimesAnd yet, the legislative disarray of the moment had the potential to leave Mr. Biden no better off than he had been 24 hours earlier. He was set to arrive in Rome without tangible evidence that he could break the political logjam that has stalled progress on his promises. He had only the outlines of an agreement, with no firm proof that it would pass. It will fall to him in several days of meetings this weekend to persuade world leaders that he will prevail By: Michael D. Shear and Jim Tankersley
Title: Biden Implores Democrats to Support His Transformative Agenda
Sourced From: www.nytimes.com/2021/10/28/us/politics/infrastructure-bill-spending-plan.html
Published Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2021 23:53:11 +0000
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