Infrastructure bill expected to be introduced TODAY and could pass the Senate this week but AOC claims 'very large amount' of the 92-member Progressive Caucus is prepared to sink it over a lack of reconciliation spending
- Republican Susan Collins and Democrat Joe Manchin said Sunday the bipartisan infrastructure bill's text will be ready on Sunday
- They say the $1 trillion legislation is expected to pass the Senate this week
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said 'a very large amount' of the Progressive Caucus is prepared to kill the bill due to lack of reconciliation spending
- The bipartisan bill has been months in the making and is one of the cornerstones of President Joe Biden's legislative priorities
Republican Susan Collins and Democrat Joe Manchin, both moderate senators, said Sunday that the text of the bipartisan infrastructure bill should be made public today.
Collins told CNN's State of the Union that she believes more than 10 of her Republican colleagues will support the roughly $1 trillion infrastructure plan.
The Maine Republican predicted that the measure will pass the Senate this week.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, however, also told CNN host Jake Tapper on Sunday that a 'very large amount' of the Progressive Caucus, which has 92 members, are prepared to defeat the bill over a lack of reconciliation spending.
'If there is not a reconciliation bill in the House and if the Senate does not pass a reconciliation bill, we will uphold our end of the bargain and not pass the bipartisan bill until we get all of these investments in,' the progressive New York congresswoman said.
Manchin told CNN during his own interview on Sunday morning that he cannot guarantee a reconciliation bill will pass the upper chamber.
'I can't really guarantee anybody. And I have not guaranteed anybody on any of these pieces of legislation,' Manchin told Tapper. 'Would we like to do more? Yes, you can do what you can pay for. This is paid for. Our infrastructure bill is all paid for.'
'As far as reconciliation goes, it should be looked at the same,' he said. 'That's why I said we're going to get the budget resolution. Let's start the process and then see where it goes.'
Republican Susan Collins (left) and Democrat Joe Manchin (right), both centrist senators, said Sunday that the bipartisan infrastructure bill's text will be ready on Sunday, and is expected to pass the Senate this week
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, however, told CNN's State of the Union that 'a very large amount' of the 92-member Progressive Caucus is prepared to kill the bill due to lack of reconciliation spending
The West Virginia centrist Democrat continued: 'There's a lot of need out there for the human infrastructure, I understand. But some of these programs that they are going to be putting in place could be in perpetuity, and even though it only has a 10-year run on it. So it's being scored at 10 years at 3.5. It might have perpetuity, would be $5 trillion or more. So we have to look at everything and be honest with ourselves.'
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she won't hold a vote on any senate-passed infrastructure bill until the chamber also passes the $3.4 trillion budget reconciliation bill, which includes a bunch of social and welfare programs Republican oppose.
'Well, I would never get Speaker Pelosi any advice on how she's going to run – she does – she does a great job,' Manchin said. 'And I just believe that every bill should go up on its own merits.'
Manchin also told CNN Sunday morning that he expects the final text of bipartisan hard infrastructure the bill to be available on Sunday.
Manchin also told CNN on Sunday morning that he expects the final text of the bill to be available on Sunday.
He said this will allow the Senate to proceed with consideration as early as Sunday night, with final passage later this week for the massive spending package for roads, rail lines and other infrastructure.
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The bipartisan group working on the legislative text said it would be ready on Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor on Saturday night.
A sizable bipartisan majority in the closely divided Senate has backed the bill in two procedural votes, although no lawmakers have seen the final text. Senate votes so far have been on a shell bill that will incorporate the actual legislation once it is complete.
On Friday, the Senate voted 66-28 to take up the bill with 16 Republicans joining all 48 Democrats and two independents. The Senate also convened a rare session on Saturday.
The massive infrastructure package is President Joe Biden's top legislative priority, dubbed by the administration as the American Jobs Plan.
In addition to $450 billion that had previously been approved, the package is expected to include $550 billion in new spending and will dramatically ramp up the country's expenditures on roads, bridges, transit and airports. It also includes money for scrapping lead water pipes and constructing electric vehicle charging stations.
Supporters, including Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, have been optimistic about the bill's chances of becoming law.
Senator Kevin Cramer (2nd L) speaks as (L-R) Senators Rob Portman, Joe Manchin, Susan Collins and Kyrsten Sinema listen during a news conference after a procedural vote for the bipartisan infrastructure framework on July 28
But the bill does not include funding for climate change and social initiatives, which the progressive flank of the Democratic party, including Ocasio-Cortez, has pushed for.
Democrats have included those measures in a separate $3.5 trillion package, which they will seek to pass without Republican support.
Progressives have also suggested the $1 trillion package is inadequate and the Senate could impose changes that potentially complicate its chances of becoming law.
The Democrats' majorities in the Senate and the House of Representatives are razor-thin, requiring the party to stick together if it wants to achieve its legislative goals.
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