November means preparations for the biggest American holiday.

Days earmarked to show gratitude for the past year.

In an idyllic setting of Hollywood, loved ones gather around a huge turkey with traditional accessories.

Pumpkin pie, gravy, cranberry jelly.

American football match on TV.

Around the dining table, decorated in all the colors of autumn, one by one will share what they are grateful for this year. 

More expensive Thanksgiving plate

But in real America, it looks different.

The Halloween decorations have not even been removed and the news channels are going through how much more expensive the Thanksgiving plate will be this year.

Potatoes: an increase of 3.5 percent.

Sweetened bread: plus four percent.

Mixed vegetables: 3.8 percent.

Apple pie: as much as 7.8 percent.

And to the rising gas prices, congested ports and impending inflation.  

For President Joe Biden, Friday's vote in the House of Representatives probably qualifies into what he is grateful for this year.

The huge infrastructure package will make an incredible difference for millions of Americans.

Better roads, bridges and airports.

Clean water and broadband for everyone.

In addition to a better life, this will generate many jobs.

Months of negotiations

Infrastructure reform is so significant that Republicans have supported it.

It is even thanks to 13 Republican votes that the package could finally be hammered through in the House of Representatives. 

For months, the various camps of the Democrats have been negotiating, compromising, slimming down and encountering adversity.

The big bottleneck has been the second reform package, the so-called "softer", which includes climate and welfare initiatives.

The Democrats on the far left have not wanted to vote through the infrastructure package separately, for fear that it will not be delivered on social reforms.  

"Finished wired in DC"

The two reform packages are the largest investments in the United States in decades, but have been overshadowed by the Democrats' internal strife.

The party got a real wake-up call after this week's local elections, especially the state of Virginia's gubernatorial election.  

Since the Barack Obama era, this historic Republican state has voted blue, that is, for the Democrats.

But now, a year after Biden won Virginia by a full ten percentage points, Virginia is choosing a Republican gubernatorial candidate.

With that, it had to be finished bickering in Washington DC.

The Democrats needed a victory and proof that the Biden administration can deliver.

Therefore, there have been intensive negotiations in recent days to secure a vote before the end of the week.

With or without the Democrats on the far left.

Ready before Thanksgiving

The infrastructure package has already been approved by the Senate and will now end up on Biden's desk for signing.

Now it's time to row home the second package.

It must first be hammered through in the House of Representatives, then the Senate, to finally end up in the White House.

It is said that this can happen at the earliest before Thanksgiving.

But such timelines have been postponed several times.

Now it remains to be seen whether Biden will be able to express gratitude that both packages went through when he sits around the dinner table on November 25.