Despite the House’s skepticism of senators’ pitch to finance the social spending bill, some party leaders are remaining optimistic about movement this week.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her Democratic leadership team are confronting a new wrinkle in their social spending talks as they ramp up their sales pitch to their caucus: a proposed tax on billionaires. The idea is straightforward enough. In the final days of frenetic dealmaking on the party’s roughly $1.5 trillion spending bill, Senate Democrats are hoping to use the billionaires tax as a partial financing replacement for tax increases opposed by moderate Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.). But the tax has met a wall of opposition from House Democrats, who panned the complicated proposal and are skeptical it can be fleshed out on Democratic leaders’ dayslong timetable to reach a framework agreement. House Democrats are also increasingly frustrated as Senate counterparts continue to wrangle with Sinema and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) over many of the policies in the bill. “The Senate needs to start saying yes or no on issues and stop fucking talking,” said Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), who sits on the House tax-writing panel. “It’s more of a stunt,” Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), who also sits on the Ways and Means Committee, said of the proposed billionaire tax. House Democrats complained Tuesday they had yet to see text of the billionaire tax proposal pushed by Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). He’s expected to formally unveil the plan Wednesday. «We want to see the text,» said House Ways and Means Chair Richard Neal (D-Mass.) after huddling with committee Democrats for more than an hour Tuesday. «That’s been one of our challenges — as you know — that we continue to request legislative text for these proposals.
