Senator Joe Biden, a key moderate, told fellow Democrats in the House of Representatives this week that she will not vote for a multitrillion-dollar package that would be a top priority for President Kyrsten Sinema before Congress approves a $1 trillion infrastructure bill, according to a source briefed on the meeting.
Aides for Sinema, who has the power to stop legislation from advancing in the 50 - 50 Senate, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In an online meeting, Sinema and fellow Senate moderate Joe Manchin said they would not abide by any deadlines adopted by leadership to force votes on the package.
Congress already faces a pair of historic deadlines around Dec. 3 when the federal government faces the risk of shutdown and a critical debt default without congressional action. Republican national Democratic majorities are also at stake in the next midterm elections and will be razor-thin.
Sinema and Manchin have balked at Biden's initial $3.5 trillion price tag for a spending measure to fund social programs and combat climate change. As a result, Biden faces a difficult balanced act in trying to bring down the cost but not alienate progressives who are required for passage.
After a meeting on Capitol Hill with his fellow Democrats earlier this month, Biden suggested the bill could cost around $2 trillion over 10 years.