Patience wears thin as Democrats miss deadlines
By Cristina Marcos and Jordain Carney - 10/27/21 06:08 PM EDT
Democrats are at risk of missing yet another self-imposed deadline to strike a long-sought deal on their sweeping social spending package.
Party leaders insisted a month ago that they were close to a deal and that a House vote on the Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill was imminent — only to end up with neither.
Now Democrats want to get it all done before President Biden leaves Washington on Thursday for an international climate summit and to boost gubernatorial candidates in Virginia and New Jersey in elections next Tuesday.
They also want to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill in a matter of days since it would renew federal highway programs that are set to expire on Oct. 31, rather than turn to another short-term extension.
House and Senate Democrats have made significant headway in the last few weeks, but it’s far from clear a framework will be reached by Thursday, and lawmakers across the party were grumbling.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a former Virginia governor, expressed frustration that the party still didn’t have a deal that Democrat Terry McAuliffe could campaign on in the neck-and-neck Virginia gubernatorial race.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/house/578821-patience-wears-thin-as-democrats-miss-deadlines