Biden leaves meeting saying 'it doesn't matter' when bill is passed
By Cristina Marcos - 10/01/21 04:53 PM EDT
President Biden huddled Friday with House Democrats in a high-stakes effort to salvage his domestic agenda by attempting to ease tensions between the clashing centrist and progressive factions of the caucus.
Biden did not exhort his fellow Democrats to adhere to a specific timeline on passing the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill or the broader package to expand social safety programs during the roughly 40-minute meeting in the Capitol basement.
Instead, Biden focused on urging them to come together as centrists and progressives have remained at odds whether to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill as soon as Friday or wait until they secure commitments on the social spending package from two key holdouts in the Senate.
“It doesn't matter whether it's in six minutes, six days, or in six weeks. We're going to get it done,” Biden told reporters afterward.
Democrats left the meeting under the impression that Biden wasn’t exhorting them to immediately pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill, after Democratic leaders have twice postponed a vote on its passage this week.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/574954-biden-leaves-meeting-saying-it-doesnt-matter-when-bill-is-passed