U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, arrives at a House Democratic caucus Meeting amid ongoing negotiations about budget and infrastructure legislation at Washington's U.S. Capitol.
After breaking a deadlock that threatened to end the party's expansive agenda, House Democrats moved forward with President Joe Biden's economic plan Tuesday.
The chamber approved a $3.5 trillion budget resolution in a 220-212 vote and passed a $1 trillion bipartisan bill for infrastructure. This vote allows Democrats to approve and write a huge spending package without Republicans. It also puts the Senate's infrastructure plan on the path to final passage in Congress.
The measure also includes a non-binding commitment to vote for the infrastructure bill by Sept. 27. This is to placate nine centrist Democrats, who had pushed the House before it took up the Democratic budget resolution to review the bipartisan plan. A broad voting rights bill was also approved by the vote, which Democrats hope to pass as soon Tuesday.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Tuesday that she would "rally" her caucus in order to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill. She stressed that she hopes to pass a budget reconciliation legislation that can get through the Senate, meaning that it could prove smaller than House progressives desire.
Opposition from nine Democrats remained threatened to thwart an agenda that backers claim will increase the economy and provide a safety net for working-class families. The budget plan has been hailed by Democratic leaders as the largest expansion of America's social safety net in decades.
