Tuscany Residence Tuesday Aruba August 24, 2021 T: 582-7800 www.arubatoday.com facebook.com/arubatoday instagram.com/arubatoday Page 8 Aruba’s ONLY English newspaper Budget clash pits moderate Democrats against Biden, Pelosi By KEVIN FREKING and ALAN FRAM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Confronting their party's most pow- erful leaders, nine moderate Democrats are tapping the THE brakes on President Joe Biden's multitrillion-dollar do- mestic program and insisting on their own priorities. The inter-party showdown is headed for a test vote Monday evening in the House. The band of moderates has threatened to oppose a $3.5 NINE trillion budget blueprint unless the House first approves a $1 trillion package of road, power grid, broadband and other infrastructure projects that's already passed the Senate. They could conceivably sink the fiscal blueprint in the narrowly divided House. With most of Biden's domestic agenda at stake, it's un- imaginable that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., would let her own party's centrists deal him an embar- rassing defeat. That's especially true with the president already under criticism over his handling of the U.S. with- drawal from Afghanistan and with Democrats' prospects uncertain in the 2022 elections for control of Congress. Pelosi implored lawmakers Monday afternoon to come together, saying there is no time to waste. In his Aug. 10, 2021, file photo, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks regarding the Emergency Rental Assistance program in San Francisco. Continued on Page 2 Associated Press A2 TUESDAY 24 AUGUST 2021 UP FRONT Budget clash pits moderate Democrats against Biden, Pelosi Continued from Front ates," suggesting they're conservative. "We must not squander our The group Justice Demo- Congressional Democratic crats, which recruits pro- Majorities and jeopardize gressive candidates in- the once-in-a-generation cluding challengers to opportunity to create his- congressional incumbents, toric change to meet the released a fundraising ap- needs of working families," peal saying Gottheimer she said in a letter to col- was being supported by leagues before the session. "the worst of the political Members of the House re- establishment." It did not turned to Washington on identify them. Monday in what Demo- Lawmakers from both par- cratic leaders hope will ties began Monday mak- be just a two-day interrup- ing their pitches prior to this tion of lawmakers' August week's votes. recess to make gains on Democratic lawmak- Biden's priorities. Leaders ers framed the votes as want quick approval of the a chance to build on the budget resolution, which $1.9 trillion COVID-relief bill will set the stage this fall for that Congress passed ear- setting further legislation di- lier this year that provided recting $3.5 trillion at safety $1,400 stimulus checks to net, environment and oth- most Americans, boosted er programs over the next unemployment insurance decade. Lawmakers were payments and expanded scheduled to huddle pri- the child tax credit, among vately before the vote for a other things. caucus meeting. "Long before the pan- In this Dec. 21, 2020, file photo, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., speaks to the media on Capitol Hill That huge measure com- in Washington. demic, decades of federal prises the heart of Biden's Associated Press under-investment in cli- vision for helping families mate, education, housing, and combating climate Pelosi, backed by the by Oct. 1, an ambitious both measures soon and childcare, health care and change and is progressives' White House, is leading her schedule. Pelosi, top House pointedly ignoring moder- other sectors have made it top priority, all of it largely party in a tightly-scripted Democrat since 2003, has a ates' demand to do infra- harder for American fami- financed with tax increases strategy that aims to keep long history of doing what it structure first. lies to make ends meet and on the rich and big busi- moderate and progressive takes to line up the votes Unless the moderates de- for American businesses to ness. lawmakers on board for she needs on important is- cide to oppose the proce- complete globally," said But the moderates want what would be a landmark sues. dural measure, Democrats Rep. John Yarmuth, the Congress to quickly send federal investment and the So far, neither the moder- controlling the chamber Democratic chairman of the smaller, bipartisan infra- cornerstone of Biden's do- ates nor the powerful forc- 220-212 should be able to the House Budget Commit- structure measure to Biden mestic policy agenda. In es confronting them were push it through. tee. "We must close these so he can sign it before the the narrowly divided Con- showing signs of budging. Among moderates, Rep. deficits now." political winds shift. That gress, to pass any legisla- The party's progressive Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, Republicans said the $3.5 would nail down a victory tion over solid GOP oppo- members are vowing to said in an interview, "No trillion effort that Demo- they could point to in their sition, Democrats can lose withhold their votes on the progressive is going to crats are seeking to ad- reelection campaigns next no more than three votes in infrastructure bill unless the cram something down my vance fails to address "the year. the House. larger measure focused throat." Rep. Jared Gold- crisis that American families "The House can't afford The Monday evening pro- on expanding child care, en, D-Maine, said failure to are facing" and would lead to wait months or do any- cedural vote on the infra- Medicare and providing for pass the infrastructure bill to higher inflation and defi- thing to risk passing" the structure measures, as well paid family leave is passed. quickly "leaves the nation's cits. infrastructure bill, Rep. as a voting rights bill, an- Biden met virtually with economy and crumbling "The inflation crisis, the bor- Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., other top Democratic goal, Pelosi and other Demo- infrastructure hostage to der crisis, the energy cri- said late last week. He's a will test the strategy ahead. cratic leaders and commit- political gamesmanship." sis, the Afghanistan crisis leader of the nine moder- Some solution averting a tee chairs late last week. On the other side, progres- — this budget only makes ate mavericks who each Biden setback in the House In a show of solidarity, the sive leader Rep. Katie Por- it worse," said Rep. Jason released statements reaf- seems likely. Leaders were White House and Pelosi is- ter, D-Calif., said in an inter- Smith of Missouri, top Re- firming a desire that the in- in talks with lawmakers sued similar statements af- view that Democrats "not publican on the House frastructure vote come first, signaling they want both terward underscoring their actively supporting" Biden's Budget Committee.q and others may join them. infrastructure bills passed determination to approve priorities "are not moder- A3 U.S. NEWS TUESDAY 24 AUGUST 2021 U.S. regulators give full approval to Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine By LAURAN NEERGAARD proval. and MATTHEW PERRONE Normally, doctors can pre- Associated Press scribe FDA-approved prod- WASHINGTON (AP) — The ucts for other reasons than U.S. gave full approval to their original use. But FDA's Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine acting Commissioner Dr. Monday, potentially boost- Janet Woodcock strongly ing public confidence warned that the Pfizer vac- in the shots and instantly cine should not be used opening the way for more "off-label" for children un- universities, companies and der 12 — a warning echoed local governments to make by the American Academy vaccinations mandatory. of Pediatrics. The Pentagon promptly Both Pfizer and Moderna announced it will press have vaccine studies un- ahead with plans to require derway in youngsters, and members of the military to they are using lower doses get vaccinated amid the than those available for battle against the extra- people 12 and older. contagious delta variant. Pfizer's Bourla said he ex- Louisiana State University pects study results from 5- likewise said it will demand In this March 2, 2021, file photo, pharmacy technician Hollie Maloney loads a syringe with Pfizer's to 11-year-olds by the end its students get the shot. COVID-19 vaccine at the Portland Expo in Portland, Maine. of September, but data for More than 200 million Pfizer Associated Press those younger than 5 will doses have been admin- Just over half of the U.S. dents, acted amid a surge for Public Affairs Research. take a couple of months. istered in the U.S. under population is fully vac- in Louisiana that has re- The delta variant has sent Also, Woodcock said special emergency provi- cinated. Vaccinations in peatedly broken records cases, deaths and hospi- health providers are offer- sions — and hundreds of this country bottomed out for the number of people talizations soaring in recent ing COVID-19 vaccines un- millions more worldwide — in July at an average of hospitalized with COV- weeks in the U.S., erasing der agreements with the since December. In going about a half-million shots ID-19. Some major college months of progress. Deaths government that should a step further and granting per day, down from a peak systems such as the Univer- are running at about 1,000 preclude using Monday's full approval, the Food and of 3.4 million a day in mid- sity of Minnesota said they a day on average for the approval as a pretext for Drug Administration cited April. As the delta variant were waiting for FDA ap- first time since mid-March, offering booster shots to months of real-world evi- fills hospital beds, shots are proval before making vac- and new cases are av- the general population.