Nancy Pelosi admits Democrats did NOT have a good election night - but blames 'other issues' over the Dems' stalled budget bills that could be voted on starting tonight
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has given her assessment of Tuesday's election smackdown in Virginia, telling reporters 'it was not a good night' as she prepares to call up President Joe Biden's major economic legislation.
She acknowledged when pressed that 'it would have been better' if Democrats had voted on Biden's $1.1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package before Tuesday, as Democrat Terry McAuliffe had been calling on Congress to do.
But she declined to assess that House Democrats were partly to blame for his loss, saying she was awaiting more 'data.'
A skein of lawmakers and pundits have pointed to the failure to act on the Biden agenda – as well as constant reports on haggling over the details and process – as part of what damaged Democrats in multiple states on Election Night.
Pelosi also declined to state that leaders had the votes to pass two key pieces of budget legislation – after reportedly telling colleagues they could vote on infrastructure as soon as tonight and Biden's Build Back Better plan on Friday morning.
'We’re going to pass both bills. But in order to do so we have to have votes for both bills. And that’s where we are,' she said cryptically.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., acknowledged at a press conference it would have been 'better' to have passed major legislation before the Virginia election
Pelosi also touted paid leave legislation Democrats are inserting into Build Back Better legislation, after it got dropped by the White House amid opposition from West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin.
'We can afford it. It’s universal. It’s a compromise,' she said.
Pelosi used language that did not rule out the possibility of losing the fight over the provisions, however.
'We would like to put on the table family and medical leave,' she said.
The speaker only hinted at centrist Democrats and others who may be withholding support.
'We have questions that members have,' she said.
House Democrats could vote on infrastructure legislation as soon as tonight, Pelosi told members. A copy of H.R.5376, the Build Back Better Act, is seen as the House Rules Committee begins work on President Joe Biden's sweeping domestic agenda, the Build Back Better Act, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WVa., is objecting to Pelosi's effort to put family leave legislation in the Build Back Better plan
'It was not a good night,' Pelosi said, after Republican Glenn Youngkin captured the Virginia governor's mansion
She also made clear that progressives had prevailed in their demand that the infrastructure bill not move without the package containing social program funds.
Asked if infrastructure might move on its own, she replied simply: 'No.'
The House is preparing to debate and vote on a revised draft of President Joe Biden's now-$1.85 trillion domestic policy package as well as a companion $1 trillion infrastructure bill, with Democrats eager to show voters the party can deliver on its priorities.
With a flurry of late-breaking adjustments, the Democrats added key provisions to what has grown to a sprawling 2,135-page package - adding back a new paid family leave program,work permits for immigrants and changes to state and local tax deductions.
Both the overall price tag and the revenue to pay for it are expected to grow. A new White House assessment Thursday said revenue from the taxes on corporations and the wealthy and other changes are estimated to bring in $2.1 trillion over 10 years, according to a summary obtained by The Associated Press. That's up from what had been $1.9 trillion in earlier estimates.
A senior administration official said Thursday the House bill will be fully paid for, echoing Biden's frequent statement. The official requested anonymity to discuss the new estimates.
Votes are possible Thursday, with the Democrats anxious to finish up the president's signature package after drawn-out talks on Capitol Hill were partly blamed for the party's dismal election results in bellwether states this week.
"Get it to my desk!" Biden implored in remarks Wednesday at the White House.
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced House votes were possible on both Biden's big bill of social services and climate change programs and the slimmer bipartisan infrastructure package that had stalled amid deliberations. Voting, though, could push until Friday, aides and lawmakers said.
After months of talks, Democrats are desperate to make gains on Biden's proposals after grim election results for the party in Virginia, a warning that their hold on power could be in peril in next year's midterms.
Many voters in Virginia said drawn-out negotiations in Washington over Biden´s governing agenda were an important factor in their vote, so blame was flowing to Capitol Hill where Democrats have spent months arguing over details of the package.
"We´ve got to produce," Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia told reporters at the Capitol. "We´ve got to get results for people."
The House Rules Committee convened late Wednesday in a hearing that ran past midnight to consider the updated text - a crucial step before what is expected to be a lengthy floor debate that could start Thursday and spill into Friday.
Democrats have been working fervently to shelve their differences, particularly with holdout Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, and launch votes on Biden's big bill and the related infrastructure package that has stalled.
The new family leave provision is expected to include four weeks of paid time off for childbirth, recovery from major illness or caring for family members, less than the 12-week program once envisioned, but all fully paid for with revenue elsewhere.
Biden had reluctantly dropped a scaled-back paid leave proposal from last week´s White House framework after Manchin balked at the cost. But Democrats who lobbied that paid leave has been a party priority for decades continued to push it.
Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, said it's "a policy that will finally give workers and their families the peace of mind" in face of difficulties.
On another remaining issue, the Democrats compromised on a plan partly to do away with the $10,000 limit on state and local tax deductions that particularly hits New York, California and other high-tax states and was enacted as part of the Trump-era 2017 tax plan.
While repeal of the so-called SALT deduction cap is a priority for several northeastern state lawmakers, progressives wanted to prevent the super-wealthy from benefiting. Under the plan, the $10,000 deduction cap would be lifted to $72,500 for 10 years, starting with the 2021 tax year.
And the just-added immigration provision would create a new program for some 7 million immigrants who are in the country without legal standing, allowing them to apply for permits to work and travel in the U.S. for five years. It would also allow the government to tap unused visas to admit people into the U.S.
Resolving the immigration issue was among the last daunting challenges to finishing up the draft of Biden's package. Biden had set aside $100 billion to fund the immigration changes, which bolsters the overall package from $1.75 trillion to at least $1.85 trillion - though that could slip if the provision is accepted by the Senate. Lawmakers plan to make their case to Senate parliamentarian in coming days, hopeful the changes will pass muster under Senate rules, those involved said.
"We have to have something for our immigrants," said Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif.
The changes are increasing the cost of the package, but also revenues. A deal reached earlier this week to allow Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices for seniors is among the revisions helping to offset the bottom line.
Both the paid family leave and the immigration law changes have drawn resistance from Manchin, whose support remains crucial in the 50-50 Senate, where Biden has no votes to spare. The overall bill faces united opposition from Republicans.
Manchin wants Democrats to take more time in negotiations, and panned the paid-leave announcement.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi´s strategy now seems intent on passing the most robust bill possible in her chamber and then leaving the Senate to adjust or strip out the portions its members won't agree to.
Biden's package would provide large numbers of Americans with assistance to pay for health care, education, raising children and caring for elderly people in their homes. It also would provide some $555 billion in tax breaks encouraging cleaner energy and electrified vehicles, the nation´s largest commitment to tackling climate change.
Much of its costs would be covered with higher taxes on people earning over $10 million annually and large corporations, which would now face a 15% minimum tax in efforts to stop big business from claiming so many deductions they end up paying zero in taxes.
A deal announced earlier this week adds another major provision - capping out-of-pocket Medicare Part D costs for older Americans at $2,000 and reducing the price of insulin to no more than $35 a dose.
Some moderate Democrats in the House said they want to see a fiscal assessment of Biden's overall package from the Congressional Budget Office before taking the vote.
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Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Alan Fram and Colleen Long contributed to this report.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WVa., who has been a key holdout on President Joe Biden's ambitious domestic package, peers out from an elevator after a vote, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. Progressive and centrist lawmakers, particularly Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., have fought over details of the sprawling 1,600-page package. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Reporters question Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., a negotiator on the paid leave proposal in President Joe Biden's domestic agenda, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WVa., had earlier refused to support it but the measure is now back in the far-reaching social spending package. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., pauses for an interpreter as she hosts a visit with Roberto Fico, president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. After losses on Election Day, Democrats are rushing to overcome party battles and finish a final draft of President Joe Biden's domestic agenda to pave the way for voting as soon as Thursday on the overall package. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, updates reporters before meeting with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and fellow Democrats as President Joe Biden's $1.75 trillion domestic policy package remains in limbo, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., talks to reporters as he walks to the chamber at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
House Budget Committee Chair John Yarmuth, D-Ky., center, is joined from left by Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., House Education and the Workforce Committee Chair Bobby Scott, D-Va., and House Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., as the House Rules Committee begins work on President Joe Biden's sweeping domestic agenda, the Build Back Better Act, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Rep. Michelle Fischbach, R-Minn., left, and Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pa., right, take their places on the dais as the House Rules Committee begins work on President Joe Biden's sweeping domestic agenda, the Build Back Better Act, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
A copy of H.R.5376, the Build Back Better Act, is seen as the House Rules Committee begins work on President Joe Biden's sweeping domestic agenda, the Build Back Better Act, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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