On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) said he aims to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill and reconciliation budget plan by the end of October, amid the deadlock between the progressive and centrist Democrats in the Congress.
“Not every member will get everything he or she wanted,” Schumer wrote in a letter to Senate Democrats Monday. “But at the end of the day, we will pass legislation that will dramatically improve the lives of the American people. I believe we are going to do just that in the month of October.”
While the progressives in the party argue that the current $3.5 trillion price tag is too small, centrists like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema(D-Arizona) refuse to vote for a price near that number.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California), has tried to negotiate with the centrists, only to delay the vote on the measure.
In a 50-50 Senate, Democrats will need Sinema and Manchin’s vote to win the simple majority and pass the budget reconciliation bill.
Amid the ongoing deadlock in Congress, President Joe Biden on Monday asked Republicans to stop blocking the plan by trying to raise the debt ceiling.
“Democrats are willing to do all the work,” Biden said in a Monday statement. “Republicans just have to let us do our jobs. You don’t want to help save the country? Get out of the way so you don’t destroy it.”
