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Dani Anguiano (now) and Joan E Greve in Washington and Joanna Walters in New York (earlier)

Democratic standoff as progressives object to Pelosi infrastructure vote plan – as it happened

Biden at the White House on Friday morning. He urged members of Congress to vote for his agenda ‘right now’.
Biden at the White House on Friday morning. He urged members of Congress to vote for his agenda ‘right now’. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP

Politics Recap

  • The standoff over the House vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill continues. Speaker Nancy Pelosi had originally hoped to pass both the infrastructure bill and Democrats’ reconciliation package today, but a handful of centrists objected to passing the reconciliation package without an analysis from the Congressional Budget Office. So instead, Pelosi is trying to pass the infrastructure bill and the rule to begin debate on the reconciliation package.
  • Joe Biden has cancelled plans to travel to Delaware, and reportedly called into the ongoing hours-long meeting of the Congressional Progressive Caucus in an effort to push the infrastructure bill forward.
  • It remains unclear whether Pelosi has the votes to pass the infrastructure bill, as progressives are insisting the reconciliation package must be approved at the same time. The chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Pramila Jayapal, reportedly told Biden that she won’t support the vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill tonight.
  • Biden celebrated the strong jobs report, which showed the US economy added 531,000 jobs last month. In his speech, the president credited his administration’s vaccination policies and the passage of the coronavirus relief package with reinvigorating the economy. “Today is another great day for our economic recovery,” Biden said. “America is getting back to work. Our economy is starting to work for more Americans.”
  • The president and the first lady attended the funeral of former secretary of state Colin Powell at Washington national cathedral. Powell, who was the first African American to serve as US secretary of state, died last month at the age of 84.

- Joan E Greve and Dani Anguiano

Updated

Joe Biden has cancelled plans to travel to Delaware this evening as the Democratic standoff over the infrastructure vote continues.

The president called into the ongoing hours-long meeting of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, CNN reports, in an effort to push the bill forward and resolve the dispute between a handful of moderate Democrats and progressives.

Progressives are reportedly frustrated that the House speaker is pushing for the infrastructure vote tonight, which they have long said they won’t support until the reconciliation package is also approved.

Updated

New panels tasked with taking redistricting out of partisan control have had a shaky start, reports my colleague Sam Levine.

Greta Harris had enough.

The 16-person panel she was co-chairing was on the verge of a meltdown after months of trying to draw new boundaries for districts in the Virginia state legislature. The deadline for submitting maps had arrived but there was no plan.

The panel was tasked with redrawing political districts, a task that lawmakers across the US undertake every 10 years. In recent years, there’s been a growing alarm at how politicians have taken advantage of that process, distorting district lines to essentially choose the voters they represent and locking in their re-election and party control of certain seats. There’s now a broader recognition of how the practice, called gerrymandering, can essentially rig elections in favor of one party.

Ten years ago, Republicans launched an unprecedented effort to gerrymander to their advantage. In the 2010 election, they targeted under-the-radar races in state legislatures with the goal of taking control of those bodies to control the redistricting process. The effort, called Project REDMAP, was remarkably successful. Republicans used their newfound majorities in places like Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania to draw district lines that would lock Democrats out of power for years to come. In some places, Republicans weren’t subtle about what they were trying to do. In Michigan, A Republican aide bragged about cramming “Dem garbage” into certain districts.

This year, Harris’s panel, comprising eight lawmakers and eight citizens and evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, was supposed to help prevent that kind of distortion from happening.

But by the beginning of October, things were so bad that the commission couldn’t even agree on how they should start drawing the maps.

More here:

Trump justice department official refuses to answer questions from 6 January panel

A former Trump justice department official declined to testify before the 6 January congressional committee on Friday.

In a letter sent to congressional investigators, a lawyer for Jeffrey Clark, who assisted Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, defended Clark and his refusal to cooperate with the investigation.

“Mr Clark had nothing to do with the January 6 protests or the incursion of some into the Capitol,” the letter states. Clark plans to hold off on testifying until after the resolution of Trump’s lawsuit seeking to block the release of documents related to the US Capitol attack.

The chair of the 6 January committee told Politico that the panel would consider voting to hold Clark in contempt of Congress. The panel previously approved a contempt of Congress citation for Steve Bannon for his refusal to testify before the committee.

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal has reportedly told Joe Biden she won’t support the vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill tonight and that the bill and the reconciliation package should pass together.

Progressive congresswoman Cori Bush has also indicated she won’t support the bill until the reconciliation package advances. “Conservative Democrats are trying to tell my community that we should just shut up and accept a half deal,” Bush said.

Updated

It could be a long night in the House of Representatives as Nancy Pelosi moves ahead with plans to hold the final vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill. The California Congressman John Garamendi said Pelosi would keep the House in session all night if necessary.

The fight over the infrastructure vote plan is dividing Democrats. The House speaker had originally hoped to pass both the infrastructure bill and the reconciliation package today, but six centrist Democrats were opposed to passing the reconciliation package without an analysis from the Congressional Budget Office. Meanwhile, progressives insist both must be approved at the same time.

Hi all, Dani Anguiano here taking over the US politics blog for the rest of the day. It’s been a chaotic day in Washington with the fight over the bipartisan infrastructure bill and reconciliation package dividing Democrats.

As noted by my colleague Joan E Greve, Nancy Pelosi has indicated she will move ahead with plans to hold the final vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill today, even though progressives have long said they won’t support the proposal until the reconciliation package is also approved.

Joe Biden reportedly called Pramila Jayapal, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, this afternoon. According to CNN, about 20 progressive Democrats plan to vote down the infrastructure bill tonight.

Today so far

That’s it from me today. My west coast colleague, Dani Anguiano, will take over the blog for the next few hours.

Here’s where the day stands so far:

  • The House is moving forward with a final vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill. Speaker Nancy Pelosi had originally hoped to pass both the infrastructure bill and Democrats’ reconciliation package today, but a handful of centrists objected to passing the reconciliation package without an analysis from the Congressional Budget Office. So instead, Pelosi is trying to pass the infrastructure bill and the rule to begin debate on the reconciliation package.
  • But it remains unclear whether Pelosi has the votes to pass the infrastructure bill, as progressives are insisting the reconciliation package must be approved at the same time. The chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Pramila Jayapal, said in a statement, “[I]f our six colleagues still want to wait for a CBO score, we would agree to give them that time — after which point we can vote on both bills together.”
  • Joe Biden called on the House to pass the infrastructure bill and the reconciliation package “right now”. “I’m asking every House member, member of the House of Representatives to vote ‘yes’ on both these bills right now,” Biden said in his morning remarks on the October jobs report.
  • Biden celebrated the strong jobs report, which showed the US economy added 531,000 jobs last month. In his speech, the president credited his administration’s vaccination policies and the passage of the coronavirus relief package with reinvigorating the economy. “Today is another great day for our economic recovery,” Biden said. “America is getting back to work. Our economy is starting to work for more Americans.”
  • The president and the first lady attended the funeral of former secretary of state Colin Powell at Washington national cathedral. Powell, who was the first African American to serve as US secretary of state, died last month at the age of 84.

Dani will have more coming up, so stay tuned.

Pelosi pushes forward with infrastructure vote despite progressive criticism

House speaker Nancy Pelosi has indicated she is pushing forward with plans to hold the final vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill today, even as progressives criticize the strategy.

“We had hoped to be able to bring both bills to the floor today. Some members want more clarification or validation of numbers that have been put forth,” Pelosi said. “And we honor that request.”

A handful of centrist Democrats are insisting they must see the analysis from the Congressional Budget Office before supporting the reconciliation package, and that report won’t be ready for at least another couple of weeks.

Pelosi voiced confidence that the CBO analysis will be completed “before Thanksgiving,” at which point House Democrats will hypothetically be able to pass the reconciliation package.

The speaker also thanked the Congressional Black Caucus for proposing the “creative alternative” of voting today on the infrastructure bill, as well as the rule for the reconciliation package.

But it is still unclear whether Pelosi has the votes to pass the infrastructure bill, as progressives are insisting the two proposals must be approved at the same time. Stay tuned.

House majority leader Steny Hoyer would not provide any clarity about whether he expected the bipartisan infrastructure bill to pass today, amid criticism from progressives.

“We’re working on it,” Hoyer said as he left speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office moments ago, per Politico.

As of now, it is looking less and less likely that House Democrats will be able to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill or the reconciliation package today.

A handful of Democratic centrists are insisting they must see the analysis from the Congressional Budget Office before passing the reconciliation package, and that report is not expected for another couple of weeks.

So House speaker Nancy Pelosi called for a vote today on the final passage of the infrastructure bill, even though progressives have said for months that they will not support the proposal until the reconciliation package is approved as well.

Unless something changes in the next couple of hours, House leaders don’t have the votes to pass either bill. Stay tuned.

Progressive congresswoman Cori Bush has also made clear that she will not support the bipartisan infrastructure bill until the reconciliation package advances as well.

“There’s no phone call I could get or nothing that could be offered to me that will change my mind,” Bush said, per Bloomberg.

At least three progressives have already indicated they will not support the bipartisan infrastructure bill today, and that is enough to block the proposal’s passage (unless some Republicans vote “yes”).

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar retweeted a message from congressman Jared Huffman saying the infrastructure bill would not pass without the reconciliation package being approved as well.

And congresswoman Rashida Tlaib also criticized the vote plan, noting the infrastructure bill would lead to an increase in carbon emissions while the reconciliation package has more than $500bn in funds for climate initiatives.

House progressives raise objections to planned vote on infrastructure bill

House progressives are making it clear (once again) that they will not support the bipartisan infrastructure bill until the reconciliation package advances as well.

House speaker Nancy Pelosi has told members that they will vote today on the rule for the reconciliation package and the final passage of the infrastructure bill.

But in a new statement, Pramila Jayapal, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, made clear that her members would not go forward with such a plan.

“As we’ve consistently said, there are dozens of our members who want to vote both bills — the Build Back Better Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act — out of the House together,” Jayapal said.

“We now understand that there are six Democratic members who want to have a formal CBO score on Build Back Better before voting.”

Jayapal pointed to the report from the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation and analyses from the White House to argue that the reconciliation package “will contribute to reducing the deficit”.

She added, “However, if our six colleagues still want to wait for a CBO score, we would agree to give them that time — after which point we can vote on both bills together.”

Updated

House majority leader Steny Hoyer confirmed that the chamber will now begin one hour of debate on the rule for the reconciliation package.

After that debate has concluded, the House plans to vote on both the rule and the final passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill.

The votes are expected to start in about an hour, according to the guidance from Hoyer’s office.

Meanwhile, the vote has finally closed on the Republican motion to adjourn the chamber. House speaker Nancy Pelosi kept the vote open for more than seven hours as she tried to convince members of her caucus to advance the reconciliation package.

By a vote of 207 to 219, the motion to adjourn was rejected, as expected. The delay made this the longest vote in House history.

House will hold final vote on bipartisan infrastructure bill today, Pelosi confirms

House speaker Nancy Pelosi has just confirmed that the chamber will vote today on the rule for Democrats’ reconciliation package and the final passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill.

“In order to make progress on the President’s vision, it is important that we advance the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework and the Build Back Better Act today,” Pelosi said in a “Dear colleague” letter.

“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework rule and debate have already happened. Now, we will bring to the Floor the BIF and a rule for consideration of the Build Back Better Act.”

But it remains unclear whether House progressives will go along with this plan. They have repeatedly made clear that they will not support the infrastructure bill until the reconciliation package advances as well.

And as of now, it is unclear when the House may give final approval to the reconciliation package, as some centrists are insisting they must see the analysis from the Congressional Budget Office before supporting the bill. That report may not be available for weeks.

Stay tuned.

Despite some lingering questions about whether House Democrats will have the votes to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill or the reconciliation package today, the chair of the caucus is still voicing optimism.

“Look forward to moving legislation on the House Floor today that will create millions of good-paying jobs #ForThePeople,” Hakeem Jeffries said on Twitter.

House will vote today on bipartisan infrastructure bill, CBC chair says

Joyce Beatty, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said the House will vote today on the final passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the rule for the reconciliation package.

The CBC chair shared the plan with reporters after a long meeting with House speaker Nancy Pelosi.

When asked about the timing of the final vote on the reconciliation package, Beatty said, “That’s forthcoming.”

But it remains unclear whether House progressives will go along with such a plan. They have repeatedly made clear they would not support a standalone vote on the infrastructure bill.

Stay tuned.

At least one of the holdout centrists in the House has indicated support for advancing the reconciliation package without an analysis from the Congressional Budget Office.

Congresswoman Carolyn Bourdeaux, a Democrat of Georgia, said on Twitter, “There are a lot of rumors swirling. Let me be clear—this bill is paid for and it has a number of my priorities in it. If it comes to the Floor today—I will support the Build Back Better Act.”

But it appears that there are still enough Democratic centrists insisting on the CBO score to block the bill from advancing. Stay tuned.

Attorneys general in more than two-dozen Republican-controlled states filed suit today against the Biden administration, challenging a new vaccine requirement for workers at companies with more than 100 employees.

“This mandate is unconstitutional, unlawful, and unwise,” Missouri attorney general Eric Schmitt said in a court filing in the St. Louis-based 8th US circuit court of appeals on behalf of 11 of the states, The Associated Press writes.

The agency further reports:

“This mandate is unconstitutional, unlawful, and unwise,” said the court filing by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, one of several Republicans vying for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat next year.

New regulations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration mandate that companies with more than 100 employees require their workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or be tested for the virus weekly and wear masks on the job. The requirement is to kick in Jan. 4. Failure to comply could result in penalties of nearly $14,000 per violation.

Schmitt said Missouri has 3,443 private employers who could be covered by the vaccine requirement, with nearly 1.3 million employees.

He said he sued “to protect personal freedoms, preserve Missouri businesses, and push back on bureaucratic tyrants who simply want power and control.”

The Biden administration has been encouraging widespread vaccinations as the quickest way out of the pandemic. A White House spokeswoman said Thursday that the mandate was intended to halt the spread of a disease that has claimed more than 750,000 lives in the U.S.

The top legal official for the U.S. Department of Labor, which includes OSHA, has said legal precedent allows it to issue rules that keep workplaces safe and that those rules pre-empt state laws.

Missouri was joined in the lawsuit by the Republican attorneys general of Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. The office of Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, a Democrat, also joined in the suit, along with several private, nonprofit and religious employers.

The Daily Wire, a conservative media company, filed a challenge in federal court on Thursday. So did companies in Michigan and Ohio represented by a conservative advocacy law firm, as well as two Wisconsin manufacturers represented by a conservative law firm.

Updated

Despite Colin Powell’s track record including a presentation before the United Nations Security Council in 2003 pitching alleged evidence of weapons of mass destruction, that in fact did not to exist, as an argument to invade Iraq, nothing negative has been heard so far at his ongoing funeral service, writes Lauren Burke at the national cathedral.

Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, George W Bush, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton at Colin Powell’s funeral service today.
Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, George W Bush, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton at Colin Powell’s funeral service today. Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA

There are more than 1,500 present at the national cathedral in Washington, DC, to honor Powell on a clear, crisp, breezy November afternoon.

The former secretary of state died last month at 84, from complications of coronavirus, which came on top of him suffering other serious illnesses.

Friend and former diplomat RichardArmitage told a story of a casual office visit by the Harlem Globetrotters baskeball team, including Sweet George Brown playing in the background, and Powell taking a moment to relax from the pressures of his duties.

“Nothing made Colin Powell happier than to sneak away from his security detail,” Armitage said.

He relayed an account of a visit from the foreign minister from Sweden who presented an Abba box set to Powell when he was secretary of state. Powell was a huge fan of the pop group.

He got down on bended knee and sang the Abba hit “Mamma Mia” after the gift presentation, Armitage relayed.

Military musicians played music from Abba and Bob Marley in the cathedral before Powell’s casket was brought in by eight military pallbearers.

Former secretary of state Madeleine Albright gave a eulogy and spoke of Powell as a man who connected with other people from different backgrounds and of very different ages.

“He relished the opportunity to connect with other generations,” said Albright. “Colin was always true to himself,” she added.

Powell’s widow and three children are at the service, as well as Joe Biden, Barack Obama and George W Bush and their wives.

Michael Powell, Colin’s son, said: “My father is frequently remembered as a problem solver.”

“Colin Powell was a great leader because he was a great follower. He knew you couldn’t ask troops to do anything you wouldn’t do yourself,” he added.

Powell was America’s first Black secretary of state but, to some surprise, never ran for president.

Updated

Today so far

Here’s where the day stands so far:

  • Joe Biden called on the House to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the reconciliation package “right now”. “I’m asking every House member, member of the House of Representatives to vote ‘yes’ on both these bills right now,” Biden said in his morning remarks on the jobs report. But it remains unclear whether Democrats have the votes to pass the bills, as some centrists are raising concerns about approving the reconciliation package without a score from the Congressional Budget Office.
  • Biden celebrated the strong October jobs report, which showed the US economy added 531,000 jobs last month. In his speech, the president credited his administration’s vaccination policies and the passage of the coronavirus relief package with reinvigorating the economy. “Today is another great day for our economic recovery,” Biden said. “America is getting back to work. Our economy is starting to work for more Americans.”
  • The president and the first lady are now attending the funeral of former secretary of state Colin Powell at Washington national cathedral. Powell, who was the first African American to serve as US secretary of state, died last month at the age of 84.

The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.

Meanwhile, the confusion continues on Capitol Hill, as the House looks to hold votes on the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the reconciliation package.

Asked whether he believed there would be a vote tonight, House majority leader Steny Hoyer told reporters, “I don’t know.”

Members of the House Democratic caucus are still meeting with Nancy Pelosi to determine whether the speaker can get the votes necessary to pass one or both bills tonight.

The chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Joyce Beatty, is now meeting with Pelosi, per Politico.

Lauren Burke has more details on Colin Powell’s funeral service today:

Powell was known as a revered army general and statesman who appealed to leaders and votes on both sides of the aisle and had made history as the US’s first Black secretary of state. He was also known as an approachable presence in a city that is so often bound up by protocol.

He has also previously expressed regret at how he played a pivotal role in attempting to justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq. A staunch Republican, he nevertheless endorsed Democrat Barack Obama in his 2008 campaign that saw him become the first Black US president.

Barack Obama talks Hillary Clinton before the funeral for Colin Powell.
Barack Obama talks Hillary Clinton before the funeral for Colin Powell. Photograph: Andrew Harnik/AP

Powell, a four-star general and former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, rose to the heights of military and diplomatic service from relatively disadvantaged beginnings, having been born in New York City to Jamaican parents and raised in the South Bronx where he was educated through public schools before he entered the army via a college officer training program.

Powell is due to be eulogized by former secretary of state Madeleine Albright, friend and former diplomat Richard Armitage, and Powell’s son Michael. Former secretaries of state Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice, one Democrat, one Republican, were also seated prominently at the cathedral.

The dignitaries all wore face masks to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. Powell himself died of complications from the disease, while also suffering from cancer and Parkinson’s disease.

Biden arrives for Colin Powell's funeral

Lauren Burke reports for the Guardian:

Colin Powell, who rose from a humble background to serve as America’s secretary of state, was honored at Washington’s national cathedral on Friday, following his death last month at 84.

The memorial was replete with the company of the current president and first lady and former presidents and secretaries of state in an atmosphere that could only be described as akin to a state funeral.

Joe Biden, Jill Biden and Barack Obama during the funeral of Colin Powell.
Joe Biden, Jill Biden and Barack Obama during the funeral of Colin Powell. Photograph: Michael Reynolds/EPA

Presidents Joe Biden, George W Bush and Barack Obama were all in attendance, along with their wives. Bill Clinton could not attend because he is recovering from an infection, while 97-year-old Jimmy Carter is not able to travel. Donald Trump was not expected to attend.

The current secretary of state, Antony Blinken, is also in attendance for the service.

Powell’s wife Alma Powell sat alongside their children, Linda Powell, Michael Powell and Annemarie as the service began on Friday afternoon.

Progressive congressman Mondaire Jones urged his centrist colleagues to support the reconciliation package in response to Joe Biden’s speech.

“@POTUS has asked House Democrats to vote for both bills today—for the American people,” the New York congressman said on Twitter.

“I hope the small handful of my colleagues who have not yet committed to voting for these broadly popular bills will do the right thing.”

Joe Biden noted that he would soon be returning to the Oval Office to keep making calls to House members, encouraging them to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the reconciliation package today.

“I want to say very clearly: if your number one issue is the cost of living, the number one priority should be seeing Congress pass these bills,” Biden said.

After concluding his prepared remarks, Biden did not take any questions from reporters, but he said he would do so after the two bills passed.

As of now, it is very unclear when that might happen. Some centrist members of the House Democratic caucus are still insisting they must see the analysis from the Congressional Budget Office before supporting the reconciliation package, and that report could still be weeks away.

The president and the first lady will soon leave to attend the funeral of former secretary of state Colin Powell. Stay tuned.

Updated

Biden calls on 'every House member' to support economic agenda 'right now'

Joe Biden called on “every House member” to support the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the $1.75tn reconciliation package, as some centrist Democrats raise concerns about the latter.

The president argued that the reconciliation package would provide American families with “just a little more breathing room” by lowering their healthcare and childcare costs.

“Right now, we stand on the cusp of historic economic progress,” Biden said. “And passing these bills will say clearly to the American people: we hear your voices.”

As the president spoke, it remained unclear whether the House would be able to hold its planned vote today on the reconciliation package.

Some centrist Democrats in the House are insisting they must see the Congressional Budget Office’s analysis of the bill before supporting it, but that report may not be available for weeks.

“I’m asking every House member, member of the House of Representatives to vote ‘yes’ on both these bills right now. Send the infrastructure bill to my desk. Send the Build Back Better bill to the Senate,” Biden said.

“Let’s show the world that America’s democracy can deliver and propel our economy forward. Let’s get this done.”

Updated

Biden celebrates strong October jobs report: 'America is getting back to work'

Joe Biden celebrated the strong jobs report, saying the addition of 531,000 jobs in October showed that the US economy is recovering after suffering because of the pandemic.

“Today is another great day for our economic recovery,” Biden said in his speech at the White House.

“America is getting back to work. Our economy is starting to work for more Americans.”

The president noted new unemployment claims have fallen every week for the past five week and are now at the lowest level since the start of the pandemic.

Biden credited his administration’s vaccination policies and the passage of the $1.9tn coronavirus relief package with reinvigorating the US economy.

“This did not happen by accident,” Biden said.

Joe Biden will soon deliver remarks on the latest jobs report, which showed that US employers added a solid 531,000 jobs in October.

The strong number provides a boost to Biden, whose presidency has been battered by political setbacks in recent months as it struggles to enact his domestic agenda and suffered a major defeat in the race for governor of Virginia.

October’s job growth outpaced the 450,000 new jobs economists had predicted from the job market, mitigating fears of slow growth in the jobs sector after far fewer jobs were added in September than was expected.

The boost in jobs was expected after Covid cases and hospitalization rates declined in October.

The rise has meant a continued decrease in the unemployment rate, which was 4.6% in October. The decrease in unemployment was mostly seen among white and Hispanic workers, while the Black and Asian unemployment rate has remained unchanged.

The Black unemployment rate stands at 7.9% – more than 3% higher than the white unemployment rate of 4.2%.

Josh Gottheimer, a centrist member of the House Democratic caucus who previously demanded an earlier vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill, indicated he was ready to vote for both bills today.

“It’s time to stop delaying & start delivering on priorities to help our communities,” the New Jersey congressman said on Twitter.

“With the bipartisan infrastructure bill and reconciliation, let’s revitalize our infrastructure, invest in child care, & cut taxes for middle-class families w/ SALT relief.”

But some of Gottheimer’s centrist colleagues have indicated they want to see an analysis from the Congressional Budget Office before voting for the reconciliation package.

House majority leader Steny Hoyer has said the CBO cannot complete its analysis today, per the Washington Post:

Kurt Shrader, another centrist member of the House Democratic caucus, told CNN that there was “no resolution” to his concerns about the reconciliation package.

The Oregon congressman also would not say whether he would vote “yes” on the bill if the Congressional Budget Office released its analysis, which is one of centrists’ demands before a vote happens.

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.

“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.

Biden to deliver remarks on strong October jobs report

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.

Updated

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.
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

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

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