WASHINGTON — White House officials are signaling to Congress that the time is running short for negotiations over President Joe Biden's infrastructure and social spending packages and that they want a deal to get done quickly.
A person familiar with the White House's thinking said that while Biden believes good progress has been made in negotiations, he thinks it is crucial to pass the bills soon, and officials are pushing members to do so.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday, "The time for negotiations is not unending, and we are eager to move forward, we are eager to deliver on what he promised to the American people." She said that the White House wasn't setting any deadlines but that "it is time to move forward with negotiations."
Earlier in the year, the White House had anticipated getting both an infrastructure spending bill and a wider social spending package passed by the end of the summer. While the Senate passed a $550 billion infrastructure bill in August, the bill has stalled in the House, where progressives are pushing also to get a $3.5 trillion bill through that would fund a range of social programs.
House Democrats missed a self-imposed deadline to pass the infrastructure bill by the end of September, with moderates and progressives in Congress divided over the price tag for the larger bill.
