House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday responded to mounting pressure from moderate Democrats to hold a stand-alone vote on the bipartisan infrastructure package, rather than stick to her plan to wait for the Senate to first pass a $3.5 trillion party-line spending bill.
Ms. Pelosi proposed conducting simultaneous procedural votes this month to advance both spending measures, which are crucial to President Biden’s domestic agenda.
Democratic leaders hope it will be enough to win votes from unhappy party moderates.
In a letter Sunday to Democratic lawmakers, Mrs. Pelosi suggested that the House will take a single vote that would clear an initial hurdle for both a budget resolution and a separate infrastructure bill.
The budget blueprint would open the gate for Congress to later consider a separate, $3.5 trillion bill for anti-poverty, education, health care and climate change programs.
On Friday, nine moderates Democrats from Mrs. Pelosi’s majority sent a letter demanding that she abandon her plan to put the package of liberal priorities ahead of the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
“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.
By forcing lawmakers to vote on moving both measures an initial step forward together, Mrs. Pelosi hopes moderates will be forced to abandon their threat — at least for now — and join the rest of the party in pushing its economic and social agenda toward eventual passage.
In the face of solid Republican opposition, Democrats can lose no more than three defectors to pass legislation through the closely split House. Democrats are calling the House back from summer recess on Aug. 23.
“Our goal is to pass the budget resolution the week of August 23rd so that we may pass Democrats’ Build Back Better agenda” as fast as possible, wrote Mrs. Pelosi, California Democrat.
She said the initial procedural vote she wants the House to take “will put us on a path to advance” both bills.
The Senate last week passed the $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal, clearing a major hedge for one of Mr. 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 previously 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.
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.
This article is based in part on wire service reports.
• Haris Alic can be reached at halic@washingtontimes.com.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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