By Sahil Kapur and Haley Talbot
NBC News
WASHINGTON - House Democrats on Tuesday found a way to end their divisions after a rebellion by moderate congressmen forced a postponement last night on the vote on the infrastructure bill and the ambitious budget plan that includes a path to the citizenship for millions of immigrants.
In a meeting on Tuesday morning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she
was optimistic about reaching an agreement
ahead of the vote scheduled for this afternoon, which would include concessions to appease the most reticent.
"I am sorry that we could not reach a good port last night, and that everyone had to wait. But that is only part of the legislative progress," he said, "I think we are close."
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The president and members of his Cabinet have telephoned various members of the House, including centrists, to defend Pelosi's plan and emphasize that both the infrastructure bills and the budget bill are critical to Biden, said a White House official.
The House Rules Committee met Tuesday morning to reconsider the plan, which is to vote on the budget resolution that will allow lawmakers to begin work on
a $ 3.5 trillion package
.
It would also lead to the first votes on the infrastructure bill already passed by the Senate and the John Lewis Voting Rights Promotion Act.
The House was initially expected to vote on a rule to start the procedure on Monday night, but Pelosi encountered
defections from a group of nine moderate Democrats
who threatened to reject it.
They insist that the $ 550 billion infrastructure bill has to be voted on immediately and signed into law before they start crafting the largest budget bill.
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Democratic leaders plan to give their word that the House will vote on the infrastructure bill
before Sept. 27
, said a Pelosi aide, adding that this complies with the request made by the moderates to set a certain date.
The Chamber is ready to open the session at noon this Tuesday, but there are no scheduled votes yet.
Pelosi has said for months that
the two bills should move side by side
.
Dozens of progressives argue however that they will not support the infrastructure bill without the largest spending bill, while moderates are more interested in passing the infrastructure package.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confronts a group of reporters as she leaves a meeting with Democratic representatives over the budget resolution.
The
central point of the dispute
is an attempt to appease the proposed multimillion-dollar package.
Progressives want to approve
a broad expansion of the safety net and social assistance
, which would be covered by a tax hike for corporations and the wealthy.
Centrist Democrats are wary of the proposed amount, $ 3.5 trillion, and are more skeptical of some
taxes
.