President Joe Biden made a rare trip to Capitol Hill on Friday as part of a desperate push to preserve a multi-trillion-dollar political agenda, as his congressional aides vowed that a vote on his infrastructure would take place before the weekend.
He made a joke about his travel to a foreign branch of government, asking Democratic legislators for "permission to get on board" as he arrived for a crucial meeting. His appearance, though, served as a stark reminder of the enormous stakes at risk. Presidents seldom visit Capitol Hill and instead invite lawmakers to the White House for meetings.
Biden, who has been working the phones for the past several days, will now make a personal pitch to divided Democrats in an attempt to preserve his legislative goals, Daily Mail reported. When he arrived, a crowd of demonstrators greeted him and encouraged him not to cave to remaining centrists who demanded that he scale back his big $3.5 trillion spending proposal.
Biden visits Congress to rally vote for his agenda
His travel comes after Speaker Nancy Pelosi and his senior aides spent Thursday huddled with key individuals and failed to strike an agreement with the party's moderate and liberal wings.
Biden's focus in his presentation to House Democrats will be on the 96-member Congressional Progressive Caucus, which has formed a voting bloc opposing his $1.1 trillion infrastructure proposal until Senate moderates agree to embrace his $3.5 trillion social agenda.
Moderate members from swing districts are asking for the infrastructure vote, which will be essential to Democrats retaining control of the House in the 2022 midterm elections. Meanwhile, it was revealed that Senator Kyrsten Sinema, a centrist holdout, had departed Washington DC for a medical visit in Phoenix, despite ongoing discussions.
Per NY Post, an anxious Pelosi welcomed Biden at the Capitol entrance and accompanied him to the Democratic caucus meeting. Biden did not respond to reporters' queries and simply offered a thumbs up.
As Biden arrived, protesters outside the Capitol complex screamed, "Hold the line!" Later, cheers could be heard in the corridor outside the room where the president spoke with Democrats. Progressives looked to be in a better mood than moderates following the meeting.
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Psaki says compromise is necessary
Earlier Friday, Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jaypal (D-Wash.) - a supporter of Biden's controversial $3.5 trillion social spending bill - told reporters that she had spoken with the president several times since Pelosi was forced to postpone a vote on his Senate-passed, $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill late Thursday.
President Joe Biden is likely to obtain only a fraction of his planned $3.5 trillion spending package, according to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, who says "compromise is necessary and inevitable."
Psaki stressed the need to engage with members in the Senate to bring them to a position where they have a commitment to a clear path forward on this agenda when discussing continuing discussions on Biden's costly Build Back Better Agenda.
When asked about progressives' lack of faith in the White House, Psaki highlighted the "diversity of views and opinions" among Democrats and claimed the discussions and conversations going place are "healthy," Fox News reported.
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