Biden turns the screws on Democrats with a call for the House to pass his economic agenda ‘right now’

By Betsy Klein, CNN

President Joe Biden ramped up the pressure on his Capitol Hill allies on Friday, calling on the House to pass both his massive infrastructure bill and sweeping climate and social safety net bill “right now.”

“Passing these bills will say clearly to the American people, ‘We hear your voices. We’re going to invest in your hopes, help you secure a brighter future for yourself and your family and make sure America wins the future in the process.’ I’m asking every House member, member of the House of Representatives to vote yes on both these bills right now. Send the infrastructure bill to my desk, send the Build Back Better bill to the Senate,” he said at the White House during remarks on October’s jobs report.

Biden’s public statement — one of his most explicit public exhortations for Democrats to get his agenda over the finish line — comes as there’s yet another crucial day playing out in the Capitol. Democratic leaders started the day convinced that they would be passing Biden’s $1.9 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, but as House moderates are demanding a full analysis from the Congressional Budget Office before a vote.

The President has faced calls from Democrats to put more public pressure on Democrats to fall in line and vote in favor of his bill, particularly in light of Tuesday’s disappointing election results in Virginia and across the nation. Friday’s remarks seemed to answer those requests.

“The second way to make sure recovery is fully felt is to pass my bipartisan infrastructure agreement and my Build Back Better plan, which are being debated now. I’m gonna be headed over there very quickly — shortly after I do this press conference — back to my office to make some calls,” Biden said.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.

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