Defiant Nancy Pelosi insists she DOES have the votes to pass the $3.5T budget after nine moderate Democrats staged a late-night mutiny and pushed the vote to 2pm today
Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday night delayed a procedural vote on President Joe Biden's $3.5 trillion budget, sending lawmakers home after midnight when she failed to reach a deal with moderate members of her party.
'We will come back tomorrow,' Pelosi told reporters as she left the Capitol shortly after midnight. She was on the phone with House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer as she left the building.
Negotiations continued behind closed doors in the Capitol on Tuesday morning as Democratic leaders tried to negotiate a deal that appeases both the moderate and liberal wings of the Democratic Party and that would allow passage for the budget and a bipartisan infrastructure plan.
House leaders rescheduled the vote for around 2 p.m. Tuesday afternoon in a second attempt - a sign that a deal has been made.
'When we bring up the bill, we will have the votes,' Pelosi told reporters upon her return to the Capitol on Tuesday morning.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi delayed a budget vote on Monday night, sending lawmakers home after midnight when she failed to reach a deal with moderates
House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern has helped with negotiations with moderate Democrats, led by Representative Josh Gottheimer
Pelosi hoped to pass the $3.5 trillion budget quickly, which would allow lawmakers to begin filling in the details on a sweeping package that would include sweeping social programs such as free pre-K, free community college, expanded paid family and medical leave and climate change programs. It would also raise taxes on the wealthy and corporations.
But moderate Democrats, led by Representative Josh Gottheimer announced they would not support the budget until the House first passed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill that has already won approval by Republicans and Democrats in the Senate.
Liberals, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have said they won't support the smaller infrastructure package without the larger budget deal.
Democrats hold a narrow 220-212 majority in the House and Republicans have said they will not support the budget plan. Pelosi cannot afford to lose votes from either wing if she wants both pieces of legislative - top priorities of President Biden's - passed.
Democrats leaders worked on a 'rule' to govern the passage of both pieces of legislation that would have the budget 'deemed' passed.
House Rules Chairman Jim McGovern told reporters it would also set up an agreement to vote on the infrastructure deal by late September, which would appease moderates.
Democrats huddled behind closed doors in the basement of the Capitol for more than hour on Monday night as Pelosi, Hoyer and other leaders pleaded with the party to come together.
The internecine battle has threatened to derail Biden's domestic agenda.
'Right now, we have an opportunity to pass something so substantial for our country, so transformative we haven´t seen anything like it,' Pelosi said, a source told the Associated Press.