House Democrats are negotiating Tuesday morning on a plan to pass a budget framework that will unlock their ability to move forward on a sweeping $3.5 trillion economic package amid a standoff that has thrown a key agenda item for President Joe Biden into jeopardy.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced the chamber will vote around 2:15 p.m. ET, Tuesday, on the rule that will advance both the Democratic-backed budget deal and the separate $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure measure, signaling the impasse with moderates seems to be winding down.
The deadlock forced House leadership into negotiations late into the evening on Monday attempting to reach a deal with moderates that would allow them to move ahead with a vote to pass the resolution, but shortly after midnight members were notified that no further votes were expected in the House for the night.
At issue: 10 moderates have demanded to first vote on a separate $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, complicating an effort by Democratic leadership to quickly approve the budget resolution. Given House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's narrow three-vote majority in the chamber, the speaker has little room for defections.
Both moderates and Pelosi sounded optimistic by late morning that such a deal was within reach.
"I'm sorry that we couldn't land the plane last night, and that you all had to wait," Pelosi told her caucus on Tuesday morning, according to a Democratic aide in the room. "But that's just part of the legislative progress ... I think we're close to landing the plane."
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