Progressives reject Pelosi plan for infrastructure vote without larger package
3:36 p.m.
The head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus quickly shut down Pelosi's plan to vote Friday on an infrastructure bill without also passing the larger social benefits package that Biden has sought for months.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said liberals are holding form to their insistence that both bills move together — a strategy they believe gives them the greatest leverage in negotiations with centrist Democrats in the Senate.
“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," she said.
It's also a warning shot to Pelosi, who just moments earlier had announced a plan to vote Friday afternoon on the infrastructure bill and the rule on the larger benefits package — but not that package itself.
It's also a warning shot to the moderates who have blocked a Friday vote on the larger social benefits bill to protest the absence of an official cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
By Friday afternoon, after hours of long negotiations in Pelosi's office in the Capitol, the number of moderate holdouts remained significant enough to prevent the Build Back Better Act from passing.
Jayapal said she's happy to wait for the CBO to provide its estimate, but won't budge on infrastructure beforehand.
“A full accounting of the spending and revenue has been provided by the White House, numerous pieces of the legislation have already been scored, and the JCT has put out analysis that Build Back Better will contribute to reducing the deficit," Jayapal said.
—Mike Lillis
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/580214-live-coverage-house-moves-to-pass-biden-agenda
