The left defies Pelosi as Biden's big hopes are in limbo
CNN
An extraordinary day and night of wrenching tension, failed 11th hour deal making and festering mistrust between liberal and moderate Democrats left President Joe Biden's vast domestic agenda in a dangerous limbo.
Progressive Democrats on Thursday defied fierce pressure from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and refused to pass a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, flexing new leverage in a bid to guarantee trillions more in the most sweeping social spending plan in a generation.
It is a rare day when Pelosi fails to control her caucus. But the veteran speaker, viewed with awe by many members for her vote-counting abilities, adopted a high-risk strategy of trying to force a vote on the first leg of Biden's forward-looking agenda. The infrastructure bill, which is the centerpiece of Biden's outreach to Republicans and his call for national unity, pours tens of billions of dollars into railroads, roads, airports and bridges.