Democrats on cusp of sweeping deal on Biden agenda
By Mike Lillis,Scott Wong and Peter Sullivan - 11/02/21 05:48 PM EDT
After months of tense talks, delayed votes and internal clashes, Democratic leaders are on the cusp of solidifying a deal on President Biden’s sweeping domestic agenda, setting the stage for the House to vote on both a bipartisan infrastructure bill and a larger social benefits package in the coming days.
Party leaders on Tuesday announced a hard-fought agreement on a proposal to rein in prescription drug costs — which stood among the last stubborn divisions between liberals and party moderates — and lawmakers said they were also nearing a deal on a new tax cut for those living in high-income regions of the country, which was demanded by centrists.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said the final language of the social spending package could be released as early as Tuesday night — “That’s the hope,” she said — and across the Capitol, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the upper chamber is aiming to consider the legislation on the week of Nov. 15.
“We’re coming to our conclusions,” Pelosi said.
The rapid-fire developments came after weeks of gridlock, and they were quickly cheered by Democrats of all stripes, who have watched in exasperation as the negotiations dragged on for months of missed deadlines, bad press and public grousing that’s helped tug Biden’s approval numbers underwater.
“We have a bill,” one key negotiator, Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) declared Tuesday. “We did not have that last week” when Biden came to Capitol Hill. “We had a wish and a prayer and a promise and a framework … And now we’re going to have a vote on both bills.”
more
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/579712-democrats-on-cusp-of-sweeping-deal-on-biden-agenda
