Amid Reconciliation Sparring, Pelosi Sees 'Difficult Decisions'

Liberal and centrist Democratic factions sparred Tuesday over whether and how to trim a proposed budget reconciliation package. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters she’s “very disappointed that we are not going with the original $3.5 trillion.” Telecom money included in a House Commerce Committee-approved portion of Democrats’ Build Back Better Act reconciliation bill, including $10 billion for Next Generation-911 and $4 billion for the FCC Emergency Connectivity Fund, could get trimmed or cut (see 2110010001). Senate Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona want a smaller measure of $1.5 trillion-$2 trillion. Pelosi told House Democrats in a Monday letter that to pass both reconciliation and the linked Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (HR-3684) by Oct. 31, “it is essential that difficult decisions must be made very soon.” Liberal congressional Democrats are “prepared to negotiate, we are prepared to compromise, but we are not going to negotiate with ourselves,” Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., told reporters.