Pelosi gives warring Democrats month to pass spending deal

Speaker Nancy Pelosi provided House Democrats with a new October 31 target date to pass the stalled bipartisan infrastructure Bill, saying she backed off a pledge to bring the measure to a vote this week because it would have been defeated.

“We must pass BIF well before then —the sooner the better, to get the jobs out there,” wrote Pelosi in a letter to her caucus on Saturday, referring to the $550 billion package in new infrastructure spending.

A 30-day funding extension for federal highway programs will expire at the end of October. That temporary measure was passed on Friday night to keep programmes funded after Pelosi did not bring the infrastructure package to a vote.

Pelosi also mentioned the commitment to other lawmakers — progressives — not to hold that vote until there was “consensus” of support “from all stakeholders in the House and the Senate” on a top-line cost and the policies contained in a bigger package of social and climate programs, the other part of President Joe Biden’s economic agenda.