Pressure is mounting from moderate House Democrats for Speaker Nancy Pelosi to hold a stand-alone vote on the bipartisan infrastructure package, rather than her plan to wait for the Senate to first pass a $3.5 trillion party-line spending bill.
Nine moderates Democrats from Mrs. Pelosi’s majority sent a letter on Friday making the demand.
“We will not consider voting for a budget resolution until the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passes the House and is signed into law,” the lawmakers wrote.
The letter follows up on one that six moderate Democrats sent to the speaker earlier this week arguing for an end to “unnecessary delays in passing infrastructure.”
Friday’s letter shows that the contingent of House Democrats breaking with Mrs. Pelosi is growing.
Earlier this week, the Senate passed the $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal, clearing a major hedge for one of President Biden’s top domestic priorities.
Despite clearing the Senate, it could be months before the House takes up the package for a vote.
Mrs. Pelosi has refused to compromise on her demand that the Senate passes the $3.5 trillion package of social welfare initiatives before the House considers the package of road, bridge, airport and railway projects.
“I’m hopeful that we would have a bipartisan bill. I think it would be really important to demonstrate the bipartisanship that has always been a hallmark of our infrastructure legislation,” she said recently. “But we’re not going down the path unless we all go down the path together.”
Democrats have dubbed the $3.5 trillion package “human infrastructure” in hopes of making it an easier sell to voters.
The legislation includes a wish list of liberal priorities, including free community college, universal pre-kindergarten and expanded health care benefits.
Democrats also plan to push for amnesty for illegal immigrants and new climate change mandates that would phase out fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas from the electric grid.
Since the $3.5 trillion package is unlikely to garner Republican support, Democrats plan to pass it along party lines via budget reconciliation.
The process allows some spending measures to avoid the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster threshold and pass with a simple majority of 51 votes.
Moderate Democrats are uncomfortable with both the proposed legislation and the means with which it is set to be passed.
It is not clear, though, if a watered-down reconciliation package would secure the support of progressives. Far-left Democrats in both chambers have threatened to withhold support if their interests are not met, especially on climate change.
The 95-member Congressional Progressive Caucus is backing Mrs. Pelosi’s demands for a robust reconciliation package before the infrastructure deal moves forward.
• Haris Alic can be reached at halic@washingtontimes.com.
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