Democrats in disarray as Pelosi fails to say she has votes for social spending spree: ‘I’ll let you know'
Top Democrats aim to pass the reconciliation and infrastructure bills in the coming days, but not clear they have the votes
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Thursday wouldn't reveal any information about the timing of a potential vote on Democrats' reconciliation bill and the bipartisan infrastructure bill – and dodged questions about whether Democrats have the votes to pass reconciliation at this point.
"I'll let you know as soon as I wish to," Pelosi, D-Calif., told a reporter who asked when votes on President Biden's two major agenda items may happen. "You're just worried about your own schedule."
Further asked whether party leaders will have the support of "Blue Dog" Democrats who earlier this week demanded a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score and 72 hours to review the bill text – which was released Wednesday afternoon – Pelosi didn't give a clear answer.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., meets with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
"We have been all along... we've been sending things to CBO. This is not new to them," Pelosi said. "The CBO also has been… They have most of the information now they have new information, but they have to correlate it."
She added that CBO scores on legislation take slightly longer than scores from the Joint Committee on Taxation, which she also cited during her press conference. But the speaker did not have an answer about whether she may have the support of moderates who demanded the CBO score earlier this week.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Chairman Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., speaks as Federal Reserve Board chairman Jerome Powell testifies on the Federal Reserve's response to the coronavirus pandemic during a House Oversight and Reform Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 22, 2021. (Saul Loeb/Pool via AP)
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Pelosi similarly dodged a question about a Thursday morning whip count Democrats put out on the reconciliation and infrastructure bills. She said she'd not seen the results of it yet. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., told Fox News shortly after Pelosi's conference ended he also hadn't seen the results of the whip count.
Pelosi was direct about one thing: Democrats will not pass just an infrastructure bill without a vote on reconciliation.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the debt ceiling during an event in the State Dining Room of the White House, Monday, Oct. 4, 2021, in Washington. Biden was forced to go to a climate summit earlier this week without any victories on his two biggest legislative priorities. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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"No," she said flatly when asked about the possibility of passing just infrastructure this week.
Some Democrats have been pushing for the House to finally pass the infrastructure bill the Senate passed in August to give President Biden a legislative victory amid his low approval ratings and Democrats' declining prospects for 2022. But progressives insist both bills must pass at the same time, as they do not trust moderates on the reconciliation bill.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Top House Democrats are aiming to get reconciliation passed as soon as possible so that the Senate can work on it before Thanksgiving. If Democrats allow their negotiations on reconciliation and infrastructure to drag into December, they may be caught up in the morass of urgent government funding and debt limit deadlines that await just on the other side of the holiday.
Fox News' Kelly Phares contributed to this report.