Joe Biden has arrived at Rome ahead of the G20 summit this Saturday. He flew out late on Thursday after being delayed by Capitol Hill disputes over his $1.75trillion spending plan for health and social care.
The President and Jill landed together in the early hours Friday morning, ahead of a meeting between Pope Francis and world leaders who will meet for two days of negotiations on Saturday.
Biden, whose appeal is quickly wearing off with the American people, hopes to use G20 to restore his reputation among world leaders after his disastrous withdrawal form Afghanistan. His failure to do so frustrated allies and drew unfavourable parallels with his predecessor Donald Trump.
It will be his first encounter with many world leaders since the crises. The G7 in Cornwall, June was the last time he met in person. Boris Johnson visited the White House in September and has since met with some of his allies. Some of the G20 members will be the first he has seen since the Covid pandemic.
Other than Afghanistan, the agenda includes Covid vaccines and global accessibility to healthcare, the economic recovery after the pandemic and wealth disparities, climate change and trade.
Before the negotiations can begin, however, Biden, one of the most prominent Roman Catholics in the world, will meet Pope Francis in a closed-door meeting at Vatican.
As congressional leaders struggle to pass a vote for his landmark Build back Better agenda, President Biden was accompanied by First Lady Jill when they arrived in Rome at 2:30 a.m. local time.
On Friday, the president will meet Pope Francis and leaders of France and Italy.
The president stated that he hoped to have a contract in place before he arrived at the UN climate conference.
Matteo Bruni, a Vatican spokesperson, said that the revised plan was consistent with the ‘normal procedure” established during the coronavirus epidemic for all heads of state and government.
Biden will then meet his counterparts in Italy, including Prime Minister Mario Draghi and President Sergio Mattarella.
Biden will also meet French President Emanuel Macron Friday, their first meeting since the AUKUS submarine agreement between the US and Australia, which roiled France.
Biden will be attending G-20 events over the weekend to discuss international economic issues and international affairs. According to Jake Sullivan (national security adviser), Biden will likely meet other world leaders to discuss supply chain and energy prices as well as the Iranian nuclear programme.
They will also discuss the implementation of the global minimal tax, which was agreed to by G7 finance ministers back in June. Earlier this month, 136 countries agreed to set up a global minimum corporate tax rate of 15%, to be imposed by 2023.
The president will then fly to Glasgow, Scotland to attend the COP26 United Nations climate summit. He’ll likely be questioned on his Build Back Better plan, and its climate provisions. The framework for the $1.75T climate and social bill now includes climate provisions worth $500 billion.
The president had previously stated that he hoped to have a plan in place before he attended the UN climate conference. However, White House officials downplayed the need for a vote and argued that world leaders would already be familiar with the legislation.
“I don’t believe that world leaders will view this as a binary problem. Is it possible? Is it not? They’ll be asking: Is President Biden actually on track to fulfill what he stated? He is going to deliver, and we believe one of the two ways he will do that,’ Sullivan stated Tuesday.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had to abandon plans to hold a House voting on a bipartisan bill to improve infrastructure Thursday evening, after a group pro-Biden House Democrats refused to back the legislation.
Pelosi had had told lawmakers to prepare for a possible vote, and amid tense negotiations with progressives, who are demanding to read the fine print of Biden’s new ‘framework’ for his $1.75 trillion Build Back Better plan – as well as get further assurances that it can pass the Senate.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, leader in the House progressive Caucus, stated that “these two bills must go together.”
Instead, House leaders scheduled a bill to extend expiring transportation funding – which had been an impetus for acting on infrastructure – as the last vote of the week.
Pelosi punted after Biden gave one more speech selling his pared back Build Back Better plan Thursday shortly before his scheduled trip to Europe – touting the virtue of compromise and calling a new framework ‘historic.’
Biden had hoped to be able to win by the time he landed. Instead, he now has the same framework’ that he presented to legislators. It includes more than $500 billion in climate programs he can tout in a meeting with the Pope and in climate meetings in Scotland – but like the infrastructure bill, they will not have become law.
Biden could still hold on to developments even though there was no deal. CNN’s Jayapal Jayapal pointed out the ‘overwhelming endorsement’ her caucus gave Biden’s slimmed-back framework. She called it “really important” because “there were many things in there which we did not get.”
In his remarks before leaving the country, Biden did not say for certain he had a deal that could clear Congress – and spent much of his more than 20 minute speech selling components of the framework that did not yet have a clear path to enactment.
‘After months of tough and thoughtful negotiations I think we have an historic – I know we have – an historic economic framework,’ Biden told reporters from the East Room of the White House after delaying his planned departure for Rome.
He stated that he spent many hours over months and years working on this. “No one got all they wanted, including me.”
It was a reference of major policy provisions he had the need to drop in order to keep costs down amid centrist opposition within the Senate.
He did not say the plan has the support of a pair of key Senate Democratic holdouts – and at the end of his remarks he ignored questions about Sens. Kyrsten Silena and Joe Manchin are two of the key senators who have the final say on the fate the package.
“I’ll see your in Italy and Scotland. Biden thanked reporters for their support, but did not answer any questions.
Biden pointed to the compromises Democrats have sought to make to reach a deal – without yet finding something that 50 Senate Democrats have committed to backing, let along the House majority.
“I know how passionate people feel about the causes that they fight for,” Biden said. Biden stated that the framework includes historic investments in our country and our people.
Biden, despite not having won the election, gloated about the framework and offered a defense of compromise after meeting with leaders and factions.
“I want to thank my colleagues and the leadership of the Congress. He stated that they spent many hours, hours and months on this project over the months and years. “No one got everything they wanted, even me. That’s the definition of compromise. That’s consensus. That’s the basis of my running.
Biden spoke to House Democrats before boarding Air Force One. He also pitched his plan at White House. He will meet Pope Francis Friday
“I have always believed that compromise and consensus are the only way to get big things done in a democracy. Important things are done for the country. It’s hard. I understand how passionate people feel about the causes they fight for. Biden stated that this framework includes historic investments made in our nation and our people.
Biden also referred to his 2020 victory, wherein he pitched many ideas for the package, including funding for child care, climate change and support for families with young children or parents who are aging.
“I campaigned against them. The American people spoke. Biden stated that this agenda, the agenda in these bills is what 81 millions Americans voted for. “Their voices should be heard, not denied or worse, ignored,” Biden stated.
Without action ‘we risk losing our edge as a nation,’ Biden said.
This is about being competitive rather than complacent. It’s about leading or letting the world pass you by.
He highlighted key provisions such as an expanded child tax credit, funds for 500,000 charging stations for electric vehicles, funds to cap oil leaks or methane wells, aide for elderly parents, pre-K funding, and tax provisions for the wealthy.
“All I ask is that you pay your fair share. Pay your fair share. He said, “Pay Your Fair Share.”
Biden repeated past statements that the package won’t add to the deficit – after negotiators scrambled to assemble a series of new pay-fors, including some that emerged only in recent days.
It will not add to deficit. According to economists, it will react to reduce deficit.
Biden mentioned ’17 Nobel Prize winners in Economics said it will lower inflationary pressures on economy.
“I’ve said before that these plans are fiscally responsible. They’re fully funded. They don’t increase the deficit by a penny. They don’t increase taxes on those earning less than $400,000 per year.
The bill includes almost $2 trillion in revenue raising measures, and assumes $400 Billion in savings due to increased IRS enforcement. One new tax provision would allow for a 5% surtax on income above $10 million.
According to the White House revenue-raising provisions would cancel the new social spending and climate programmes. The framework does not yet have bill language – and congressional scorekeepers cannot provide an estimate until that happens.
Biden’s praises for the Build Back Better package were made while a separate bipartisan infrastructure deal also was under threat.
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, told her lieutenants to get ready for a Thursday floor vote. Progressives were willing to flee if they weren’t given assurances about the reconciliation bill’s social programs.
‘Hell no on BIF’ – the infrastructure bill – said Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, as a number of fellow progressives indicated they wouldn’t vote for it.
However, House progressives supported a resolution saying that they supported the social expenditure framework. Rep. Pramila Jayapal is the head of House Progressive Caucus. That indicated the group’s main concern was with sequencing the framework with the infrastructure bill – after raising fears it could get torpedoed after they vote for the bipartisan bill.
The House Rules Committee was scheduled to meet to discuss a process for the bill just hours after the nearly 2500-page bill text was posted on its web site.
Amid uncertainty about where Manchin and Sinema would line up – and their own vague statements – Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, a close Biden confidant, told CNN they were on board.
Coons stated, “This is a framework with which they can work.” He also said that he had just spoken to them.
Biden announced a new framework for his Build Back Better reconciliation bill Thursday morning and pleaded with congressional Democrats to pass it – for his benefit and their own.
Biden stated, “Everybody’s aboard,” as he arrived at Capitol Hill after a delay of several hours in his departure for Rome.
However, it was not clear Thursday if his assessment was correct. Sens. Joe Manchin, Kyrsten Sinema and others had not yet signed their support for his new framework.
Sinema released a statement saying negotiators had made ‘significant progress’ and that she ‘looks forward’ to getting things done – but did not say she would vote for it or mention the specifics of the deal.
She stated in the statement that after months of productive, open-minded negotiations with President Biden (and the White House), we have made significant progress towards the budget reconciliation package. “I look forward to getting it done, expanding economic opportunities, and helping everyday families get on the right track,” she said.
Progressives were already angry about the removal of social programs from the bill. However, they had yet to say that their support for Nancy Pelosi’s bold attempt to hold a vote on a separate package of infrastructure Thursday.
At a closed meeting with the House Democratic Caucus, Biden went well beyond a policy pitch – putting the need for agreement in terms of political survival.
He stated that he didn’t believe it was excessive to suggest that the next week could decide the House and Senate control, as well as his presidency. Bloomberg News reported.
Manchin also kept his distance. He said that the House had all the power right now. I’ve worked with good faith, and I look forward working in good faith.
He did not state that he would vote in favor of the framework.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said Thursday that the bill needed to be ‘improved.’ He appeared to back House progressives, who continue to resist supporting a bipartisan infrastructure bill until more evidence is available to support a deal on the reconciliation bill.
Sanders (I.Vt.) said that to have a vote in the House, you need 50 members.
Pelosi said to her members that she wanted them vote on Thursday for the Separate infrastructure bill. Punchbowl news reported.
One possibility is for her not to vote but to then ‘hold’ it back before sending it to Biden. This would meet progressive demands that $1.75 trillion in reconciliation bills be moved. But it was not clear whether the requisite number of progressives – almost all of them are needed – would go along.
The White House provided the new framework earlier to reporters.
Senior officials stated that they were confident that this historic framework would be supported by all Democratic senators and passed the House.
Payed family leave was not included in the $1.75 billion framework. Sen. Joe Manchin, a holdout, opposed it. Medicare could also negotiate prescription drug prices. Sen. Kyrsten Silena resisted.
Official explained that “At the end, there aren’t enough votes to get anything across the line and will deliver the people’s prescription drugs as they need them,”
The bill still includes a universal preK component that would be authorized for six-years.
Biden’s climate agenda has remained unchanged.
Sen. Bernie Sanders argued that Medicare coverage should be expanded to include hearing services.
Sanders wanted vision and dental coverage to be included in Medicare.
Some progressives were furious when paid leave was removed from the framework on Wednesday, but many of them supported the written framework that was announced.
When Karine JeanPierre, deputy White House Press Secretary, was asked why Rome wasn’t more important, Karine JeanPierre defended her decision.
It is a priority. This is why the president included it into his Build Back better agenda. The president wants to make progress right now. [with a bill]This will be passed. That’s going get all the members that are needed,’ she stated.
Sen. Kyrsten Gilbrand (D.N.Y.), and other senators were still trying to lobby Manchin for a way to get it back in the package on Thursday.
It was a timing error that led to the calculated decision to drop the provision. Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg just recently revealed that he had been on family leaves, which was offered as part an administration policy after adopting twins in August with Chasten.
“The President will speak to House Democratic Caucus today to update them about the Build back Better agenda and bipartisan infrastructure deal,” a White House official stated in a statement Thursday morning. “Before departing for his overseas trip, he’ll return to the White House to discuss the path forward and the next steps to get it done.
Biden told reporters that it was a good day when he arrived at the Capitol.
The meeting with Democrats lasted approximately one hour.
The drama was over before Biden and First lady Jill Biden flew to Rome. Biden will be meeting with Pope Francis on Friday, before attending this weekend’s G20 Leaders’ Summit.
To meet with legislators, he delayed his departure for several hours.
Before he went to Italy and Scotland, the president had hoped that Congress would vote on Build Back Better reconciliation bill. This bill had originally been priced at $3.5 trillion in ‘human infrastructure’ priorities.
He will be participating in the United Nations’ COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow.
Due to resistance from Sinema and Manchin, Democrats were forced to reduce the package.
Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure bill of $1.2 trillion – which was already passed in Senate – is still stuck in the House. Progressives tried to keep social programs such as paid family leave in reconciliation.
On Wednesday night, President Obama urged Democrats not to abandon talks and bring the bill on climate change and social service ‘overthe finish line’.
Thursday’s mission of Biden on Capitol Hill was to convince progressives (including members of the so called’squad’) that they should vote on the bipartisan Infrastructure bill.
StenyHoyer, House Majority leader, indicated that a House vote regarding the infrastructure plan could occur as soon as Thursday depending on the outcome at Biden’s Capitol Hill meeting.
Pelosi informed House Democrats that she wants the infrastructure bill to be passed before Biden arrives in Rome later tonight. according to Punchbowl News.
Progressives fear Biden sold out to Manchin, whose coal country constituents want him to water down renewable energy plans.
‘I am not going to sell out my district for a bill that was written by the fossil fuel industry and championed by two Dem senators who bow down to Big Pharma & corporate polluters,’ tweeted ‘squad’ member, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.
Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar shared a similar sentiment.
“We didn’t come to Congress to see our entire agenda be torpedoed and ruined by billionaires, corporate lobbyists, and coal company owners bent on destroying the American people,” she said. It’s time to bring to floor a bill which prioritizes people over corporations,’ she tweeted Wednesday evening.
Biden should be able to help with this effort by keeping the climate change provisions in his bill.
However, disappointment is likely as paid family leave and two years free community college – another Biden campaign promise, were cut.
Thursday’s release by the White House included details about how the Build back Better bill would be paid for. This included a new surtax’ on earnings of millionaires, which would raise $230million over a decade.
The tax revenue raiser was a last-ditch addition to find funds for the overall $1.75 trillion package – after another last-minute idea, a ‘billionaires tax’ that went after investments held but not yet sold, was jettisoned.
The White House promotes the idea as aIt introduces a new surtax on income of multi-millionaires or billionaires’, which it says represents the top 0.02 percent of the population.
A 5 percent surcharge is applied to income above $10 million. An additional 3 percent surcharge is applied to income exceeding $25 million.
The plan claims it will also close a “loophole” that allows wealthy taxpayers not to pay the 3.8 percent Medicare tax on their earnings.
The surtax came into the picture after Biden and several key Democratic senators came out publicly for the billionaires tax – only to have West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin throw cold water on it.
Some of Biden’s top revenue proposals have been dropped completely: an increase to the top corporate rate, an increase to the top individual rate, and a tax rise on capital gains.
The corporate rate hike has been canceled, but the plan does include a 15% minimum tax on corporate profits for corporations that have more than $1 billion in profits. This is based on shareholder reporting. It would generate an estimated $325 billion over a ten-year period.
‘According to a White House summary, this means that large corporations can’t avoid paying their tax bill if they claim they’re profitable.
It also includes a 1 per cent surcharge on corporate stock buybacks – which executives and board members are able to support to ‘enrich themselves rather than investing [in]The White House stated that workers are essential to the growth of the economy. The estimated value of this provision is $125 billion
Another proposal would place a 15% minimum tax upon profits earned abroad by U.S. companies, in line to a multinational agreement for a 15% global tax. According to the White House, it would bring in $325 million.
To allow any of these hikes to take place, Senate and House negotiators must reach an agreement on the final legislative language that passes each chamber and is signed by the president.
The White House is also claiming $400 billion in savings from boosted IRS enforcement – which it says will target the rich.
“The President’s plan will achieve this through transformation investments made in the IRS: a hiring of enforcement agents who are trained for wealthy evaders, retooling technology from the 1960s, investing in taxpayer service, so that ordinary Americans can get their questions answered, and a revamping of technology from the 1960s. It states that additional enforcement resources will be used to pursue those with the highest incomes, not Americans with incomes below $400,000.
Biden wants the wealthy and big businesses to pay their fair share. These increases will be used to accomplish this.
They also align with his promise to no new taxes on those earning less that $400,000 per year or $450,000 for couples.
Biden wants to pay for his package completely without taking on more debt.
Biden, in a Senate evenly divided, needs all Democrats’ support.
The Sunday deadline for approval of the $1.2 trillion bipartisan Infrastructure Bill is fast approaching. Otherwise, funds for routine transportation programs could be at risk of expiring.