Biden’s budget bill threatened by Democratic infighting after infrastructure win

President Biden took a victory lap after the passage of the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal, calling it “a monumental step forward for the nation,” and then he set his sights on the next, bigger goal.

White House officials said the hard-fought and long-delayed legislative win gave Democrats momentum for the rest of Mr. Biden‘s ambitious agenda, namely a $1.75 trillion bill that would be a historic expansion of the welfare state. The big bill, however, remains deeply mired in intraparty fighting in Congress.

Mr. Biden’s team on Sunday said that with infrastructure out of the way, the pressure is mounting on congressional Democrats for a breakthrough on the $1.75 trillion social welfare and climate change bill. The package stalled in recent weeks, with both House and Senate Democrats crafting competing proposals without much consideration of the other.

“We are optimistic we’re going to get it done,” White House senior adviser Cedric Richmond told “Fox News Sunday.” “The president has an ambitious plan for the American people and the American economy and he’s going to invest in them.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, pledged to hold a vote on the social welfare bill before Nov. 15. The timeline already suffered significant pushback from her party’s moderate faction, who have reservations about the bill.