US President Joe Biden was dealt a setback on Thursday as the House of Representatives abandoned plans for a vote on an infrastructure bill with progressives seeking more time to consider his call for a separate $1.75 trillion plan for climate measures, preschool and other social initiatives.
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Biden had sought to unite his party behind the climate and social spending plan with personal appeals on Thursday, and had pressed for a Thursday vote on the $1 trillion infrastructure bill, another main plank of his agenda.
He hoped a framework on the larger measure would convince progressive House Democrats to support the infrastructure bill, but their insistence that the two move together led House leaders to abandon a planned vote, leaving Biden empty-handed.
In a meeting with House Democrats on Thursday, Biden pleaded for their support, according to a person familiar with the matter. "I need you to help me; I need your votes," the person quoted Biden as saying. "I don't think it's hyperbole to say that the House and Senate ]Democratic[ majorities and my presidency will be determined by what happens in the next week."
