Progressive Democrats are urging party leaders in the Senate to pass President Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" climate and social spending bill by March 1, The Hill reported.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said that passing the omnibus package near the president's first State of the Union address would be a perfect time to display the administration's accomplishments.
''In the months since negotiations around the 'Build Back Better' Act stalled, the case for this legislation has only become more urgent,'' Jayapal, who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said in a statement issued Thursday.
''There is agreement among Senate Democrats on significant parts of this bill: climate action, the care economy, taking on Big Pharma's price gouging, and lowering healthcare costs. There is agreement on the need to reduce rising costs facing ordinary Americans — and that is exactly what 'Build Back Better' does,'' she wrote.
In recent weeks, progressive officeholders have become more vocal about their displeasure with centrist Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona for stalling the plan.
Jayapal listed several issues that have escalated recently and appealed to the Biden administration to use them as leverage when negotiating with Manchin and Sinema.
''Public housing residents have endured devastating fires, the cost of insulin and other prescription drugs continue to crush working people, and parents are desperate for child care support,'' she wrote. ''This desperately needed relief cannot be delayed any longer.''
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