Biden Cancels Trip to Chicago amid Stalled Negotiations over Infrastructure

President Biden canceled a trip to Chicago planned for Wednesday, and will remain in Washington, D.C., amid stalled negotiations over Democrats’ infrastructure legislation, the White House said on Tuesday.

Biden “will now remain at the White House tomorrow to continue working on advancing” a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill and additional $3.5 trillion spending plan, a White House official told pool reporters. Biden was initially set to discuss “the ongoing importance of getting people vaccinated” in Chicago, the official said.

The announcement came amid continued gridlock among Democrats over passing the two spending initiatives. The $1.2 trillion bill focuses on infrastructure, while the $3.5 trillion plan was intended to fund universal preschool and community college, initiatives to combat climate change, and various other components.

Progressive Democrats are insisting on passing the two bills together. However, Senator Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) has pushed back against the price tag of the $3.5 trillion plan, while Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D., Ariz.) has also indicated she would not support some of the plan’s components.