Showdown: Pelosi dares liberals to sink infrastructure bill

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Showdown: Pelosi dares liberals to sink infrastructure bill
By Mike Lillis - 11/05/21 05:49 PM EDT

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Friday escalated the tense standoff over President Biden's domestic agenda, daring liberals in her own caucus to oppose a bipartisan infrastructure bill that's languished in the House for months while negotiators haggled over a larger social spending package.

Progressives, behind Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), have blocked the infrastructure proposal for fear that Senate centrists — Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) — would reject the bigger "family" benefits bill if the more popular public works bill had already reached Biden's desk.

In response, Pelosi has kept the infrastructure bill off the floor, even despite urging the liberals to reconsider their objections for the sake of giving the unpopular Biden a big legislative win.
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/580341-pelosi-dares-liberals-to-sink-infrastructure-bill
That is, until now.

On Friday, after hours of negotiations in which Pelosi failed to convince a handful of moderates to back the social benefits package, the Speaker abruptly announced that the infrastructure bill would come to the floor for a vote along with the rule governing the larger benefits package — but not that package itself.

The move was immediately hammered by liberals, and Jayapal quickly issued a statement demanding that the two bills move in tandem and suggesting she had enough lawmakers behind her to sink it.

"As we’ve consistently said, there are dozens of our members who want to vote both bills — the Build Back Better Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act — out of the House together," Jayapal said.

Pelosi didn't blink. Shortly afterwards, the Speaker staged a press conference, alongside her top lieutenants — Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and James Clyburn (D-S.C.) — to say she's sticking with the plan to bring the infrastructure proposal to the floor, while suggesting she's already secured the support to pass it.

"I do believe there are a large number of members of the progressive caucus who will vote for the bill," Pelosi said. "I have Speaker's secret whip count."

more
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/580341-pelosi-dares-liberals-to-sink-infrastructure-bill

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ELO  -  Showdown

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CBC chair left waiting outside Progressive Caucus meeting

7 p.m.

In an awkward development in the marathon debate, Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), head of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), arrived outside the meeting of the Progressive Caucus — and they haven’t let her in.

Beatty, who’s joined Pelosi in pushing for a stand-alone infrastructure vote, said neither the Speaker nor President Biden, with whom she spoke earlier in the day, asked her to visit the progressives in an effort to change minds.


“I asked if I could come here,” she said.

Beatty said Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) had come to her in the morning, and together they arrived at the plan to vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the rule for the social spending package — the same strategy the progressives are now revolting against.

She acknowledged that it might not have been the best strategy, but said it was way to get the ball rolling after weeks of stalemate.

Beatty said it’s unclear if there will be a vote Friday on either bill. But she predicted Pelosi won’t bring anything to the floor without the votes to pass it.

“If we call for a vote on infrastructure then it will pass, she said.

Asked if they were going to let her in, Beatty said only, “I guess I’ll know when they come to the door.”

At one point, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), a member of both the Black and Progressive caucuses, left the meeting, came into the hallway and gave Beatty a hug.

Then Omar went back inside.

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/580214-live-coverage-house-moves-to-pass-biden-agenda