Democratic leaders and Biden have entered a staredown with the party’s progressives as they move to de-link the two pieces of Biden’s sweeping agenda and lock in the votes on infrastructure.
Government shutdown 2021 in the US – less 48 hours
The battle hinges on a critical standoff on two fronts, each with major political and policy ramifications.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will need to pull out all of the stops to whip votes. But in order to achieve this President Biden will likely have to make clear publicly his support for Pelosi’s decision to separate the two components of his agenda.
All as they manoeuvre to overcome a GOP blockade on the debt limit in order to avoid a shutdown that would be catastrophic to their agenda efforts.
President Biden, Pelosi and Schumer are speaking on a daily basis. Without sounding desperate and giving too much away. All parties standpoints and details are held very close to their chest, but time is running out.
White House officials and congressional Democrats have made clear a shutdown can’t happen and would be devastating to their broader legislative efforts.
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