The president of the United States, Joe Biden, did not rule out this Monday that his ambitious spending plans to get the country out of the crisis caused by the pandemic are not approved this week in Congress, which faces crucial days.
“It may not be by the end of this week. I hope it is by the end of this week ,” the president told reporters at the White House.
Even so, he was confident that his ambitious legislative agenda, which includes spending in excess of $ 4 trillion, will go through.
“They know me, I am an optimist, I believe that things are going to go well, we are going to achieve it,” said Biden, who in response to a question about what is at stake, replied “victory . “
This Thursday it is expected that a bill of infrastructure for 1.2 trillion dollars will be voted in the Lower House, hours before the deadline for the Government to run out of funds expires, which leaves little room for error for the legislators.
The Speaker of the Lower House, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, announced that vote last night for Thursday in order to allow time to unify the ranks of her caucus on that plan and another broader package of social and environmental spending for 3.5 trillion of dollars.
The most left wing of the Democrats has warned that it will not support the $ 1.2 trillion infrastructure proposal unless the social spending plan goes ahead, which the more moderate of that formation have criticized for its scope and size.
With the majority available to them in the lower house, progressives can only count on three defections if they want Thursday’s vote on infrastructure to go through.
On the other hand, even if Democrats reached an agreement to vote on the social spending package this week , they would still have to get 50 votes to pass it in the Senate, where there are two Democratic senators who have expressed reservations about it.
In the midst of all this, the US Administration is threatened with a closure due to lack of funds if an agreement is not reached on a proposal – which includes raising the debt ceiling before the end of the fiscal year. before midnight on September 30.
The Lower House approved last week a proposal to suspend the debt ceiling until 2022 and finance the Administration until December 3.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wants to vote on that proposal this afternoon at 5.30pm (9.30pm GMT), but it is not expected to go through because progressives need ten votes from Republicans.
Mitch McConnell, the leader of the Republican minority in the Upper House, proclaimed this Monday in a speech in that chamber that his party “will not give votes” to the possibility of raising the debt ceiling.
