Pelosi: It ‘seems self-evident’ $3.5T bill will be less than proposed

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said on Sunday that it “seems self-evident” that the final price tag for the Democrats’ spending plan will be smaller than $3.5 trillion originally proposed. 

“Yeah, that seems self-evident. That seems self-evident” she said on ABC’s “This Week” when asked if she would acknowledge that there will be a lower total for the package.

“I think even those who want a smaller number support the vision of the president,” Pelosi added, referring to Democratic divisions regarding the reconciliation measure. 

Despite the House Budget Committee passing a resolution overnight calling for the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill, @SpeakerPelosi tells @GStephanopoulos it “seems self-evident” that the final number will come out to be less than that proposed. https://t.co/vZ6UrUWOXI pic.twitter.com/7dGUzfkQW9

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) September 26, 2021

“We have to find our common ground, respectful of each other’s views. This isn’t about moderates versus progressives,” Pelosi added. 

“Adding up what our priorities are should take us to a number where we find common ground,” she said. 

Pelosi also voiced confidence that the bill would pass and called the legislation “transformative.”

“We will make progress on it this week,” she added.

“We’ll see what we need. We’ll see how the number comes down and what we need in that regard,” she said.

Late last week, the House Budget Committee advanced the Democrats’ $3.5 trillion social spending plan in preparation for a vote this week despite divisions among Democrats. 

Democrats have also set a Monday deadline to vote on a separate infrastructure bill. Progressives have demanded that the infrastructure bill be linked to the spending package. 

Read more from The Hill:

Pelosi on infrastructure bill: ‘I’m never bringing a bill to the floor that doesn’t have the votes’