President Joe Biden has cancelled a planned Wednesday trip to Chicago and will instead remain in Washington to push his threatened infrastructure bill through a key house vote, Politico reported Wednesday.
Biden’s multi-trillion dollar infrastructure bill faces an uncertain vote in the House on Thursday. The president had originally planned to visit the Clayco construction firm in Chicago and hold an event encouraging companies to get their employees vaccinated. The White House confirmed the cancellation later Tuesday night, saying the trip would be rescheduled. (RELATED: Democrats Are All-In On The Largest Budget In History. It’s Passage Is Far From Certain)
“In meetings and calls over the weekend and through today, President Biden has been engaging with members of Congress on the path forward for the Build Back Better Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal,” the White House said in a statement. “He will now remain at the White House tomorrow to continue working on advancing these two pieces of legislation to create jobs, grow the economy, and make investments in families, rather than failed giveaways to the rich and big corporations.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi delayed the vote to Thursday on Sunday as it became clear its passage is far from certain. The more moderate and left-wing factions of the Democratic Party have fought for more than a week over how to approach voting on the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the $3.5 trillion Democrat-only spending bill.
Moderates in the party insist they will not vote for the larger passage unless the bipartisan infrastructure package is passed first, while their more left-wing colleagues insist just the opposite.
The infrastructure bill has already passed through the Senate and only requires House approval before going to Biden’s desk, while the larger package will require a Senate vote following House negotiations.
“Many thanks to our Caucus for making this an historic opportunity for our Country, as we honor President Biden’s vision for the future by passing his legislative agenda,” Pelosi wrote in a Sunday letter announcing the delay.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi talks to reporters following a House Democratic caucus meeting Tuesday. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Pelosi vowed in an interview with ABC News Sunday that the bill will pass “this week,” and she said she would never put a piece of legislation up for a vote without knowing it would pass. (RELATED: Biden Defends His Administration’s Record Amid Low Approval Numbers, Multiple Crises)
Also on Washington’s plate is the impending Friday deadline for preventing a government shutdown. House Democrats passed a bill suspending the debt ceiling until 2022 and funding the government through December, but Republicans have vowed to block it.