Pelosi moves to advance bipartisan bill alongside $3.5 trillion plan, despite opposition

Pelosi moves to advance bipartisan bill alongside $3.5 trillion plan, despite opposition
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Emily Brooks
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is trying to make a package deal out of the Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure plan and a much more expansive Democrats-only budget blueprint.

The California Democrat wants to tie the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a traditional infrastructure package focused on roads, bridges, and broadband internet expansion, to Senate Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget resolution, which would create and expand an array of social programs. The idea is to neutralize opposition from centrist House Democrats, concerned about federal spending largess, and far-left lawmakers who say they'll only vote for the bipartisan infrastructure bill if the larger, partisan, measure is also considered.

In a “Dear Colleague” letter on Sunday, Pelosi said that goal is to “pass Democrats’ Build Back Better agenda via reconciliation as soon as possible,” referencing the Senate budget procedure that allows Senators to pass a bill with 51 votes, rather than the usual 60 needed to overcome a filibuster.

“To that end, I have requested that the Rules Committee explore the possibility of a rule that advances both the budget resolution and the bipartisan infrastructure package. This will put us on a path to advance the infrastructure bill and the reconciliation bill,” Pelosi said in the letter.

PELOSI SIGNALS SHE WON’T BEND TO OUTNUMBERED CENTRISTS IN SPENDING FIGHT

The House Rules Committee, controlled by Democrats, issues rules governing debate for each piece of legislation. The whole House votes on the rules governing how it considers legislation before voting on final passage. Tying the two pieces of legislation together for the rule will not tie them together to one vote for final passage, but it will advance them simultaneously.

“Passing the two bills before us will give us the leverage that we need to expand the Biden Child Tax Credit, Child Care, paid family and medical leave, universal pre-K, workforce development, education, climate, housing and other initiatives that many Members have worked on for years,” Pelosi wrote. “Let us proceed united, respectful of everyone’s views and determined to deliver the results we need in the weeks ahead.”

Centrists oppose Pelosi’s plan.

Last week, a group of nine centrist Democrats wrote Pelosi to warn that they would not vote for Democrats’ $3.5 trillion go-it-alone budget resolution targeting social programs and other Democratic priorities before voting on the bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. Both the bipartisan bill and a blueprint for the budget resolution were in the Senate last week.

The group, which includes Problem Solvers Caucus Co-Chairman Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar, and Maine Rep. Jared Golden, remained firm in their view following Pelosi’s letter.

“While we appreciate the forward procedural movement on the bipartisan infrastructure agreement, our view remains consistent: We should vote first on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework without delay and then move to immediate consideration of the budget resolution,” the group said in a statement on Sunday. “We simply can’t afford any delays. As Democrats, we remain committed to working with our colleagues to advance the President’s agenda, including getting this bill to the President’s desk.”

Democrats’ narrow majority in the House means that Pelosi can only afford to lose three Democratic votes if Republicans vote against the rule, potentially giving the group of nine centrists the power to sink it.

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The House is set to return early from its August district work period to take up the infrastructure and spending legislation next week.

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