9.52am EDT09:52
It remains unclear whether Nancy Pelosi has the votes to advance Democrats’ reconciliation package, as some of the centrist members of her caucus have voiced concerns about the proposal.
After meeting with the speaker, congressman Jared Golden said he would vote “no” on advancing the reconciliation package until the Congressional Budget Office analyzes the bill. He also wants the chamber to first vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
Andrew Solender
(@AndrewSolender)
Rep. Jared Golden, emerging from Pelosi’s office, says he’s a NO on Build Back Better without a CBO score.
He also wants the BIF vote first.
“You should be asking if there will be a vote,” he says. Asked if this can get done today: “That’s the million dollar question.”
November 5, 2021
“You should be asking if there will be a vote,” Golden said, per Axios.
As a reminder, Pelosi can only afford to lose three votes and still pass the reconciliation package, because of Democrats’ narrow majority in the House.
9.30am EDT09:30
This is Joan Greve in Washington, taking over for Joanna Walters.
Joe Biden will soon deliver remarks on the strong October jobs report, which showed that the US economy added 531,000 jobs last month.
The president and the first lady will then attend the funeral of former secretary of state Colin Powell at Washington National Cathedral.
The blog will be providing updates on all of those events, so stay tuned.
8.55am EDT08:55
Colin Powell memorial service
The blog will have a live stream of the service today at the national cathedral in Washington, DC, to commemorate the life of groundbreaker Colin Powell, who became the first Black secretary of state in the US.
Colin Powell in 1991. Photograph: Marcy Nighswander/AP
Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will attend the service, which is due to begin at 12pm ET (4pm GMT). Powell served as secretary of state under president George W Bush and the general died of complications resulting from Covid-19, combined with cancer and Parkinson’s disease, last month.
Powell’s reputation was tarnished by the fact that he played a pivotal role in attempting to justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq, an action he later said he regretted.
He endorsed Barack Obama’s run before he became the first Black US president in 2008. Powell himself never ran for president, to the surprise of some.
Former secretary of state Madeleine Albright will give a eulogy.
Meanwhile, the US jobs figures for October have just come out and they are good for Biden. Read all about it in our business live blog, brought to you by the London team, here.
Updated
at 9.59am EDT
8.41am EDT08:41
House Democrats debating Biden’s big bills ahead of expected votes
Good morning, US live blog readers, it’s another busy day in Washington, DC, as the House is already meeting and debating Joe Biden’s flagship bills – $1tn on infrastructure, $1.75tn on social benefits and action on the climate crisis – and is hoping to vote on both today in a crucial step forward. It’s also a big day at the national cathedral.
Here’s what’s ahead:
- The House of Representatives is already in session, having started earlier than normal at 8am ET, and members are debating the two enormous bills relating to physical and human infrastructure that are at the forefront of the Biden agenda. They hope to vote asap today on both.
- We expect two hours of debate but there will also be some procedural hassle from Republicans, so voting may not get under way until the afternoon. Senior Democrats have indicated they have the votes, but nothing is guaranteed at this point.
- If the bills pass today it’s a crucial stepping stone – the $1tn infrastructure bill will then go to the president’s desk to be signed. But the giant $1.75tn (though slimmed down from $3.5tn) bill that’s at the heart of the Build Back Better package will go back to the Senate – where arguments over it will begin all over again and centrist Democrats led by Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema are expected to hold everything up further.
- The Senate is not in session today, so no progress expected there.
- At 12pm, Joe and Jill Biden and many other prominent figures will attend the memorial service at the national cathedral in Washington DC for Colin Powell, the former Republican secretary of state who died last month.
Updated
at 8.52am EDT