Pelosi Says House Will Cut Democrats’ Budget Bill

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has signaled to Democrats that shrinking the size of President Joe Biden’s sweeping Build Back Better bill is inevitable.

As Congress passed the temporary debt limit hike bill, party leaders have confirmed that at least $1 trillion or more from the proposed $3.5 trillion bill will be trimmed.

“In order to pass both the Build Back Better Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill on time, it is essential that difficult decisions must be made very soon,” she wrote to House Democrats this week. 

“Overwhelmingly, the guidance I am receiving from Members is to do fewer things well so that we can still have a transformative impact on families in the workplace and responsibly address the climate crisis: a Build Back Better agenda for jobs and the planet For The Children,” she added.

Pelosi, however, did not reveal which programs of the bill will be cut.

Following Pelosi’s letter, progressives in the Democratic Caucus have also acknowledged that they are open to negotiating the cost. 

“We are prepared to negotiate,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), who initially called for a $6 trillion budget, told reporters on Tuesday.

Biden is set to travel to Glasgow to attend the United Nations climate conference next month. If Congress passes a spending bill by the end of the month, Biden can show significant climate progress at the meeting.

On Tuesday, the House approved a Senate-passed bill to increase the debt limit until December, temporarily preventing a default.

The debt crisis surfaced as Biden’s ambitious spending bill faced deadlock inside Congress. By refusing to increase the debt limit, Republicans hoped to stop the Biden administration from passing the $3.5 trillion bill.

Earlier this month, Pelosi said that the House will aim to pass both the infrastructure and reconciliation bills by the end of October.

Article by Dongyoon Shin