National Economic Council Director Brian Deese on Sunday said the administration is “confident” that the House will pass the $1.75 trillion spending package this week.
“We are confident that it will. We are confident that Speaker Pelosi is going to bring it up and that it will pass this week. We will move forward to the next process and moving it to the Senate,” Deese told co-host Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s (D-Md.) weekly schedule lists “Consideration of the Build Back Better Act” this week.
Deese’s optimistic outlook comes as Democratic lawmakers are gearing up for an important week on Capitol Hill, as they look to advance their social spending package, dubbed the Build Back Better act, which includes investments to address climate change and child and elderly care.
Some lawmakers were pushing for the package to be approved earlier this month alongside the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, but a coalition of moderate Democrats had said they would not move forward with the larger package without reviewing the relevant scores from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
CBO last week started to release new estimates for portions of the sweeping spending package.
Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) sounded a similar note on Sunday, predicting that the House will approve the social spending package this week.
Asked by Tapper if the legislation will pass the House this week, Bass responded “Yes.”