| ADMINISTRATION: Biden today will speak in Glasgow, Scotland, eager to join global partners in a time-targeted battle against climate change. His ambition to show U.S. leadership during this week’s United Nations climate conference has been complicated by his party’s infighting over domestic legislation that, if enacted, would be the most significant U.S. action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (The Associated Press and NBC News). The Hill: Biden today announced the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE), a coordinated federal approach partially embodied in his pending legislative agenda for “net zero” greenhouse emissions by 2050 — with a total price tag of $3 billion annually, which he’s asking Congress to approve by fiscal 2024. A proposed White House push to move the United States toward clean-energy production of electricity recently was stripped from Biden’s proposed spending bill, and the fate of another provision to address climate change is up in the air. Biden last week called for $555 billion in new U.S. spending to help thwart the heat trapping emissions that are damaging the planet (The Washington Post). “The stakes are extremely high,” Liz Perera, the Sierra Club’s climate policy director, told The Hill. “We need to convince the world that we are serious about our commitments, even with our congressional challenges, but then the world needs to also convince — especially India and China — our Congress that they are also serious.” COP26, as the climate conference is called, is the first global summit in two years devoted to the issue; last year’s event was canceled because of the COVID-19 crisis. The Hill: The COP26 summit in Scotland confronts climate change at a perilous time. 
© Associated Press/Alberto Pezzali Biden flew to the United Kingdom from Rome, where he met over the weekend with leaders from the 20 biggest economies. Modest climate pledges resulted, including a vague commitment to seek carbon neutrality “by or around mid-century” (The Associated Press and Reuters). Reuters: On the sidelines of the Group of 20 meeting, Biden met President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey amid tensions over defense and human rights. The New York Times: The U.S. and Russia, rivals on the world stage, quietly seek areas of accord. (President Vladimir Putin participated in the G-20 summit virtually.) 
© Associated Press/Evan Vucci ***** CONGRESS: The president on Sunday expressed his hope that Congress will pass his Build Back Better agenda this week despite a delay in procedural moves that could push back passage of the final $1.75 trillion proposal. “I believe we will pass my Build Back Better plan and I believe we will pass the infrastructure bill. Combined, they have $900 billion … in dealing with climate and resilience and it’s the largest investment in the history of the world that’s ever occurred. And it’s going to pass, in my view. But we’ll see. We’ll see,” Biden told reporters on Sunday during a press conference in Rome after the G-20 summit. “I believe we’ll see by the end of next week at home that it’s passed,” Biden added. The Guardian: Biden dismisses bad polling and says his domestic agenda is set to pass. The comments came after the House Rules Committee pushed back its planned meeting today as negotiators continue to hammer out a deal on prescription drugs. The issue was left out of the framework unveiled by Biden late last week, with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) continuing to hold discussions with House leaders to lower drug prices (Politico). As The Hill’s Jordain Carney points out, supporters of getting drug pricing into the spending bill have powerful allies in their corner, including Senate Budget Committee Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who has pointed to the plan as a must-include. The potential deal would allow Medicare to negotiate prices only for older drugs that are no longer on their period of “exclusivity,” when they are protected from competition. Democrats had indicated that they are hopeful to vote on both the multi trillion-dollar blueprint and the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill on Tuesday. However, if the votes are pushed off beyond Tuesday, that result of the Virginia contest could play a role in what happens in the ensuing days. The Hill: Sanders says the fight for more in budget bill is not over for progressives. The Sunday Shows: Democrats' spending package in the spotlight. The Hill: Officials, lawmakers express optimism that infrastructure, spending vote is near. The potential passage of the reconciliation bill would also represent a massive win for Black lawmakers, with a number of members having been left disappointed by the lack of action on a number of key issues, including police reform and voting rights. As The Hill’s Marty Johnson writes, the framework included key priorities of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), including funding for historically Black colleges and universities, an increased child tax credit, affordable housing, universal child care and pre-K, and Medicare expansions. CBC Chairwoman Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) suggested prior to the Thursday unveiling of the framework that the president was aware the group was disheartened by the miniscule movement on key topics. The Hill: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on passing spending packages: “We are the closest we have ever been.” Jordain Carney, The Hill: Democrats face monster December collision. The Washington Post: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says reconciliation is a “viable” path for Democrats to deal with the debt limit. “If they’re not going to cooperate, I don’t want to play chicken,” Yellen said of GOP blockade. The Hill: Subpoenas are a real worry for lawmakers facing Jan. 6 questions. The Washington Post (interactive): Before, during and after the Jan. 6 attack. | 
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