WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Democrats are facing a hugely consequential week in Washington.
The Democratic party remains divided on the size of the president’s budget, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi promises a vote as early as Monday and contends she’s confident her party will come together.
“You know I’m never bringing a vote to the floor that doesn’t have the votes,” Pelosi said.
Pelosi says Democrats will overcome divisions within their ranks to pass the president’s spending plans, raise the debt limit to avoid a government default and vote to avoid a government shutdown by Friday.
“It’s an eventful week,” Pelosi said.
On ABC’s “This Week,” the speaker insisted her party will unite behind the president’s agenda.
“Overwhelmingly, the entirety of our caucus, except for a few who’s judgment I respect, support the vision,” Pelosi said.
The problem is: Democrats hold a slim majority in the House and need the support of every member of their party, plus the vice president’s tiebreaker vote in the 50-50 Senate.
“The votes aren’t there,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said.
On CNN’s “State of the Union,” Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said she and a few dozen progressive House Democrats are holding out.
In exchange for their votes in the House this week, they want a commitment from moderate Senate Democrats to pass the president’s $3.5 trillion “Build Back Better” plan.
“We need the Senate to engage with us if that’s going to happen,” Jayapal said.
Republicans have decided to sit this one out.
“An absolutely unprecedented, very damaging spending spree on a scale that we have never seen,” Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., said. “They want us to come along and authorize the borrowing to help pay for it.”
Toomey says that’s why Republicans will vote no on the president’s plan, vote no on raising the debt ceiling and leave it all up to Democrats.
“Chuck Schumer’s going to do what he could have done months ago,” Toomey said. “So that Democrats can pass the debt ceiling by themselves.”
Without an agreement passed, a government shutdown begins Friday.
The White House has already alerted federal agencies to prepare.