Biden tries to unite Democrats on agenda

In a series of meetings Wednesday, President Biden sought to bring Democrats together to pass his ambitious "build back better" agenda contained in two bills, one a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill that would rebuild and repair traditional infrastructure in the U.S., and a broad $3.5 trillion measure that will have to pass with only the support of Democrats. 

Mr. Biden met with three sets of Democrats, but there was little sign of movement after the meetings. House Progressive Caucus chairwoman Pramila Jayapal said after the meeting that "a majority of our 96-member caucus will only vote for the small infrastructure bill after the Build Back Better Act passes."

So, although the Senate has already passed the bipartisan bill, which would be the biggest infrastructure bill approved in almost two decades, the House has not yet acted on it. At the same time, at least two moderate Democratic senators say the other bill's $3.5 trillion price tag is too high, and maintain it must be trimmed before they'll support it.