Pelosi attempts to herd Dems toward vote on budget bill

WASHINGTON — House Democrats worked to resolve lingering differences on a $1.75 trillion tax and spending bill and Speaker Nancy Pelosi signaled she is still rounding up the votes to bring the legislation to the floor.

Pelosi was aiming to hold a vote on President Joe Biden’s economic agenda Thursday and one on a separate bipartisan infrastructure bill Friday, according to lawmakers who attended a meeting of House Democrats Thursday.

Later, Pelosi told news media the House would pass both measures, but deflected questions about the schedule and whether all Democrats were on board to hold a vote.

“I’ll let you know as soon as I wish to,” she said. “Our members are engaged in a very thoughtful deliberation.”

Although much of the bill has been written, there was last-minute wrangling over a plan to raise the limit on deductions for state and local taxes and on immigration.

Pelosi said the House will vote on a proposal to grant deportation relief to undocumented immigrants rather than a pathway to citizenship The Senate parliamentarian has so far indicated the pathway idea is not eligible for the budget bill.

“We don’t want to have members vote on something that doesn’t have a good prospect in the Senate and is controversial,” Pelosi said.

New Jersey Rep. Tom Malinowski said the House will vote on his proposal to raise the $10,000 state and local tax deduction cap to $72,500 and let the Senate decide if it can support that.

The Joint Committee on Taxation released an analysis that concluded the bill would raise $1.5 trillion in new taxes.

That’s short of the $1.75 trillion Democrats say they want to spend, but doesn’t include revenue from increasing Internal Revenue Service enforcement or additional savings from a drug pricing deal that would allow the federal government to negotiate prescription prices. The Congressional Budget Office hasn’t yet published its analysis.

Fiscally conservative Democrats have said they want to see analyses of the bill’s costs from both the JCT and the CBO before proceeding with a vote on the bill.

“There may be some amendments but I don’t think we are in a position where major things will be added,” Malinowski said. Even if the House votes before the weekend, it is likely that the Senate will take longer to work on the measure. Any changes made in that chamber then will have to be voted on by the House.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said senators will strive to act on the legislation “before Thanksgiving,” Nov. 25.