House Democrats Wednesday postponed a plan to begin consideration of President Joe Biden’s $1.85 trillion social welfare spending bill in order to provide more time for congressional analysts to provide cost estimates.
Instead of considering Biden’s Build Back Better legislation, which is the cornerstone of his economic agenda, House Democrats voted to strip Republican Rep. Paul Gosar of his committee assignments and to censure him over a violent animated video he posted earlier this month that depicted him killing Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Biden.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, called the Gosar matter “an emergency” that required the House to act “immediately.”
But it also bought lawmakers more time to await the Congressional Budget Office, which is rushing to produce a cost analysis of the social welfare spending bill.
Democrats are counting on the score from the CBO to align with White House estimates that the bill will not only be fully offset with new tax revenue but will reduce the deficit as well. At least five centrist Democrats have expressed concern that the measure will contribute to the deficit, which could further drive up inflation and have other negative economic consequences.
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The White House, according to media reports, is warning lawmakers that the CBO analysis will come up short on revenue, which could alienate key centrist lawmakers.
No Republican will vote for the bill, which means Democrats must use their bare majority to pass the measure — and they can afford to lose only three party votes.
The Gosar censure bought the party more time.
The move to bring up the Gosar censure came after Majority Leader Steny Hoyer had announced Wednesday would mark the beginning of the floor debate on the legislation, with a vote by Thursday or Friday. But that was scrapped by Wednesday morning, with Democrats blaming Gosar.
“It was scheduled for today,” the Maryland Democrat said Wednesday. “Obviously it was overtaken by the need to address a very serious and immediate issue.”
Hoyer said debate on the bill will now begin on Thursday.
“I’m hopeful that sufficient fiscal information will be here by tomorrow and we’ll be able to vote later tomorrow,” Hoyer said. “If not, Friday.”
Pelosi told lawmakers in a closed-door meeting this week that the House would not break for Thanksgiving recess until the measure was passed.
Hoyer said he anticipates centrists will support the bill after the CBO issues more cost analyses.
“I hope the information comes down on Thursday or Friday, and members will have to see it and will have to make a judgment at that point in time what their reaction is,” Hoyer said. “But my expectation is that the information will be consistent with the information we have received from the White House and will therefore warrant the support of individuals sufficient to have 218 votes.”
Across the Capitol, Sen. Joe Manchin, a centrist Democrat from West Virginia who has forced the party to shrink the cost and scope of the bill, said he’s worried about the bill raising inflation, which is a major concern among his constituents.
“We are looking at everything,” Manchin said.
