House approves $3.5 trillion budget plan, sets deadline for infrastructure vote

Washington — The House on Tuesday voted to advance the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill while simultaneously approving a $3.5 trillion budget blueprint that clears the way for Democrats in Congress to take action on a sweeping package that includes President Biden's key domestic policy proposals.

Lawmakers voted along party lines 220 to 212 to approve a rule that deemed the budget framework as passed, a key step toward enacting Mr. Biden's broader families plan, and set a September 27 deadline for the House to pass the infrastructure measure. The procedural resolution also moved forward a voting rights bill, a major priority for congressional Democrats, and a vote to pass that legislation is expected later Tuesday. "Passing this rule paves the way for the Building Back Better plan, which will forge legislative progress unseen in 50 years, that will stand for generations alongside the New Deal and the Great Society," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on the House floor ahead of the vote. "Any delay in passing the rule threatens the Build Back Better plan, as well as voting rights reform, as well as the bipartisan infrastructure bill. We cannot surrender our leverage."