Five moderate Democratic members of Congress sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Tuesday detailing what it would take for them to vote in favor of President Biden’s $1.75 trillion social spending plan.
The members asked for an official score from the Congressional Budget Office/Joint Committee on Taxation (CBO/JCT) for the Build Back Better (BBB) Act, as well as for assurances that the bill would be properly pre-conferenced with the Senate.
BIDEN ADMIN STRESSES URGENCY OF CLOSING DEAL ON INFRASTRUCTURE, AS PROGRESSIVES SIGNAL NO RUSH
The members also asked that, given the “magnitude and complexity” of the bill, the final text of the BBB Act be posted at least 72 hours before being considered, so that both lawmakers and the public can review the bill before a vote.
WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 28: U.S. President Joe Biden walks into the U.S. Capitol building with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for a meeting with House Democrats on the continued negotiations over the domestic spending Bills before the President departs for Europe on October 28, 2021 in Washington, DC.
(Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
“While we understand the needs of the nation are great, we believe our job as legislators is to provide the due diligence required to properly serve our constituents,” the members concluded. “It is better to get this done right than to needlessly rush its consideration only for our constituents to discover the negative impacts of our unintended consequences.”
The letter was signed by Reps. Ed Case of Hawaii, Jared Golden of Maine, Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, Stephanie Murphy of Florida and Kurt Schrader of Oregon.
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The letter comes a day after Congressional Progressive Caucus chairwoman Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., signaled Monday that she and the caucus are ready to allow a vote on Biden’s infrastructure and social spending bills.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, updates reporters after 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, Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021.
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Also on Monday, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., outlined his lingering opposition to the $1.75 trillion framework. Both Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., have remained opposed to the president’s plan because they argue its proponents have failed to explain the price tag.
