House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced a “framework” has been reached to pay for President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion spending bill. The video above shows clips from the announcement.
“We wanted to make sure that it was paid for and I’ve always said I’m a pay go person, pay as you go,” Speaker Pelosi said. “Sometimes I have a little disagreement in my caucus with some who just don’t necessarily think we should do that. But I do.”
The announcement comes as Biden administration officials and Democratic congressional leaders negotiated behind the scenes. On Thursday, Pelosi said they are “Closing some of the discussions that we’ve had on the legislation to honor the President of the United States’ vision for our country to Build Back Better”.
“The budget committee is going to be marking up the bill in a timely fashion, in time for us to send it to the Rules Committee for consideration,” Pelosi said.
The statements by Sen. Schumer and Pelosi left unclear whether the discussions on a framework narrowed the options for financing the bill, or were working off a more broad menu of options. Also unclear was if there was any progress made on resolving disputes between moderates and progressives that have slowed work on the legislation.
“It takes time and you have to make decisions. And that’s what we did,” Pelosi said.
Democrats have been divided over many details of the bill, including the size. Moderates, most prominently Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, have demanded the $3.5 trillion price tag be reduced.
“It’s not about a price tag. It’s about values, not dollars,” Pelosi said Tuesday. “And when we come to agreement on what people are for or what they would cut if they wanted to do this, what would you cut?”
Other disputes remain over initiatives to boost health care and fund ways to curb climate change. Republicans are solidly opposed to the package citing the high cost which means Democrats will only be able to pass the bill if they limit their defections to three House members.
The framework announcement comes just days before the House is scheduled to begin debate on a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. It has passed in the Senate, but Progressives have threatened to kill it in the House if the $3.5 trillion bill doesn’t also get passed.