Joe Biden’s ‘historic’ spending deal in limbo before global summits in Rome and Glasgow
- Joe Biden arrives in Rome for G20 summit, before COP26 climate summit in Glasgow
- Back home, Democrats remained deadlocked over president’s economic agenda
After a fitful day of talks over the fate of twin infrastructure and social spending bills that he cast as a choice between “leading the world, or letting the world pass us by,” Biden landed in Rome aboard Air Force One in the dark early Friday with the answer still undetermined.
Before leaving Washington, Biden pitched House Democrats to get behind a scaled-back US$1.75 trillion “historic economic framework” that he believes could pass the 50-50 Senate.
It remained to be seen whether lawmakers would embrace the package or send Biden back to the negotiating table, as some key priorities like paid family leave and steps to lower prescription drug costs were excised from the bill, which will be paid for with hiked taxes on the nation’s wealthiest and corporations.
“The rest of the world wonders whether we can function,” Biden told the lawmakers, according to a source familiar with his remarks.
Build Back Better – Biden’s potentially career-defining package of education, health care, child care and clean energy reforms – is linked to another bill working its way through Congress worth US$1.2 trillion in upgrades for roads, bridges and other hard infrastructure.