Nine House Democrats are standing firm in their commitment to not consider Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) budget proposal before the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Pelosi originally responded to the efforts by the nine—Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Carolyn Bordeaux (D-Ga.), Filemon Vela (D-Texas), Jared Golden (D-Maine), Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Vincente Gonzalez (D-Texas), Ed Case (D-Hawaii), Jim Costa (D-Calif.), and Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.)—as “amateur hour.” But since then, the nine have stood strong in their commitment outlined in the letter and have been in negotiation with the Speaker and the White House.
Case said, “We must pass the $1 trillion Senate physical infrastructure package immediately and send it to the president without changing it and without linking it to the $3.5 trillion social infrastructure package.”
Bordeaux urged that the situation be resolved quickly, warning that “We cannot wait … time kills deals.”
This is not to say that some of the nine do not plan to support the resolution.
Gottheimer said, “We should first vote immediately on the bipartisan infrastructure package, send it to the president’s desk, and then quickly consider the budget resolution, which, I plan to support.”
Vela said that the infrastructure bill should be brought “to the floor for a vote and immediate passage next week for the president’s swift signature.” He insisted that after that bill is passed, “I will support a budget resolution and look forward to the negotiation of a reconciliation package.”
But one signer, Schrader, is not giving the same assurances. He worries that “the ambiguity of the reconciliation process would leave the bipartisan infrastructure package in limbo and lead to possible failure.”
But the reticence of some to commit to voting for the budget is not a good sign for Pelosi. With a thinly united caucus of 220 seats against Republicans’ tightly-knit caucus of 212, Pelosi can spare no more than three ‘nays’ from her party. Any more would put the vote at a 216-216 tie or outright rejection.
With these commitments from the left and center, Pelosi lacks the votes for either bill to pass. Their renewed insistence today indicates that the moderates are not planning on relenting; but the progressives are unlikely to relent either, as they fear that the moderates in their party will vote against the budget resolution without the threat of not passing the infrastructure bill.
The attitudes towards both pieces of legislation by the different elements of the Democratic bloc speak to the fragility of the coalition. If neither the moderates nor the progressives agree to a compromise, it is likely that both bills will fail to reach the threshold for passage.