Politics

Biden Hands Out Ice Cream At Baseball Game While Infrastructure Negotiations Intensify

(Screenshot/YouTube/CSPAN)

Anders Hagstrom White House Correspondent
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President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to the Congressional baseball game Wednesday night, handing out ice cream to the crowd while Democratic in-fighting continued this week over Biden’s infrastructure plans.

Biden previously cancelled a planned Wednesday trip to Chicago, instead remaining in Washington to help push his threatened infrastructure legislation through a key House vote on Thursday. Democrats have been in a tense standoff over passing the massive Democrat-only $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill or the $1.5 trillion bipartisan package already passed through the Senate.

Democratic moderates say they will not vote for the larger package unless the smaller package is passed first, while left-wing Democrats argue the opposite, fearing the $3.5 trillion reconciliation deal will be left on the cutting room floor once the smaller package is passed. (RELATED: Biden Defends His Administration’s Record Amid Low Approval Numbers, Multiple Crises)

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.

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 in the Senate have vowed to block it.

Biden was also inducted into the Congressional Baseball Hall of Fame during Wednesday’s game.