Bad Election Day Spurs Democrats On Spending Bills, But Divides Remain
Worried that this week's election results are a harbinger of midterm elections to come, Democrats say they will move forward on companion spending bills with renewed urgency. But thorny issues like drug pricing could still throw a wrench in those plans. Politico rounds up what's made the cut so far, and what still needs to be hashed out.
The Washington Post:
After Loss In Virginia, Democrats Look To Speed Up Their Stalled $3 Trillion Spending Agenda
A new sense of political urgency swept over restive Democrats from the White House to Capitol Hill on Wednesday, as they raced to resolve the final issues stalling President Biden’s roughly $3 trillion economic agenda in the aftermath of a stinging election defeat in Virginia. With a loss in the state’s gubernatorial race — along with a slim win for the Democratic incumbent in New Jersey — party lawmakers found themselves anxious, exasperated and newly ready to try to advance two spending initiatives that have been bogged down in Congress for months. (Romm, DeBonis and Sotomayor, 11/3)
The New York Times:
Democrats, Stung By Losses, Press Forward On Biden Agenda
Smarting from an off-year electoral rebuke, congressional Democrats pushed forward on Wednesday toward House votes as soon as Thursday on nearly $3 trillion worth of social policy, infrastructure and climate change programs — but with a deep new worry: Would a legislative victory help or hurt their bruised political standing? The day after a defeat in the Virginia governor’s race and an unexpectedly close race in the Democratic stronghold of New Jersey, the Democrats in Congress toiled to keep recriminations to a minimum. But centrists grumbled that the party’s left flank had held back final passage of what they considered the most popular part of the agenda, a bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill, while liberals blamed poor campaigns and ineffectual candidates. (Weisman and Cochrane, 11/3)
Politico:
Your Updated Guide To The Huge Dem Deal: 14 New Policies And What Could Stop Them
House Democrats on Wednesday unleashed legislation that would enact President Joe Biden’s expansive social spending vision after months of negotiating, seeking support from the entire caucus by Thursday. Answering major questions about what can ultimately win support from the party’s warring factions, the new package includes compromises on issues like lowering prescription drug costs and the federal write-off for state and local taxes. Democratic leaders are hoping to enact at least $1.75 trillion in promises before Thanksgiving. But not everyone is happy, and untold political landmines await in the Senate. (Emma, Scholtes, Miranda Ollstein and Becker, 11/3)
The Washington Post:
Democrats’ Drug-Price Deal Leaves Some Unsatisfied
Democrats are touting a historic deal that would for the first time cap seniors’ out-of-pocket drug costs and empower Medicare to negotiate some prices with drugmakers, arguing it sets a precedent after decades of failures to curb spending that has frustrated consumers. But patient advocates and industry analysts are raising questions about the compromise, which significantly pares back proposals that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) had pushed for months and offers a reprieve to a deep-pocketed drug industry. (Diamond, Goldstein and Roubein, 11/3)
KHN:
Uninsured In South Would Win Big In Democrats’ Plan, But Hospitals Fear Funding Loss
At least 2.2 million low-income adults — nearly all in Texas and the Southeast — would be eligible for government-funded health insurance under the Democrats’ $1.75 trillion social spending and climate change plan. That’s the number of people who are eligible for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act but have been left uninsured because they live in one of the dozen states that have not expanded coverage under the 2010 law. They are in the coverage gap — with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid, but below the $12,880 annual federal income minimum for an individual to qualify for subsidized coverage in the insurance marketplaces created by the ACA. (Galewtiz and Miller, 11/4)
In updates on the battle for paid family leave —
The Wall Street Journal:
House Democrats Add Paid Leave, State-And-Local Tax Deduction To Bill
House Democrats released an updated version of the party’s social spending and climate package, adding back a paid-leave program that had previously fallen out of the bill and including a measure sharply raising the $10,000 cap on the state and local tax deduction. The House bill, which top Democrats want to bring up to a vote in the chamber soon, is the latest proposal in the monthslong negotiations among Democrats over President Biden’s agenda. But it is set to face changes in the Senate, where Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) has objected to the inclusion of a paid-leave benefit. (Duehren, Andrews and Rubin, 11/3)
NPR:
Here's The Latest With Paid Leave In Democrats' Budget Plan
Paid family and medical leave is back in Democrats' sweeping domestic policy bill. In a letter to colleagues Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., wrote that the inclusion of paid leave is at the urging of members of the House Democratic caucus. It also comes the morning after Republicans performed strongly in Tuesday's elections, including among suburban voters and women in places like Virginia. Pelosi said she expects the changes to the legislation to be debated in the House Rules Committee Wednesday, potentially setting up a vote later this week. (Kim, 11/3)
The Washington Post:
Duchess Of Sussex Calling? Meghan Personally Lobbies Senators To Push For Paid Family Leave
When Sen. Shelley Moore Capito’s phone rang with a call from an unlisted number, she assumed it was just her fellow senator from West Virginia, Joe Manchin III (D). It was not. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, had personally dialed the Republican senator’s phone to talk about paid family leave, a program for working families that is at risk of being cut out of President Biden’s final social spending package as Democrats scramble to make it more palatable for their moderate colleagues. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) also got a ring from the wife of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, to discuss paid family leave. “I was happy to talk with her,” Collins told Politico. “But I’m more interested in what the people of Maine are telling me about it.” (Alfaro, 11/3)
