OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is threatening to tank the Biden-back infrastructure bill if moderate Democrats manage to decouple it from a $3.5 trillion spending bill filled with left-wing priorities.
AOC wants the infrastructure and spending bill tied together and passed as one, big socialist package.
Moderate Democrats, however, are wanting to separate the bills and work towards lowering the price tag.
While speaking to followers during an Instagram live video, Ocasio-Cortez was asked if progressives would vote no on the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package if it was not tied to the larger budget bill.
Ocasio-Corte said: “Yes.”
“Nothing would give me more pleasure than to tank a billionaire, dark money, fossil fuel, Exxon lobbyist drafted energy infrastructure bill if they come after our child care and climate priorities,” she said.
WATCH:
“Ocasio-Cortez was laying down a marker after a bitter intra-party fight over advancing a budget resolution that allowed for both pieces of legislation to go forward. Under the deal, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she is committed to passing the bipartisan infrastructure deal – which includes traditional projects like roads and bridges – by Sept. 27th,” the Daily Mail reported.
“A group of Democratic centrists forced the commitment from Pelosi after squawking over the budget blueprint, which passed the House last month on a 220–212, allowing for the larger ‘reconciliation’ bill to advance,” the report added.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not done herself any favors as she has attempted to convince moderate Democrats to get on board with the Joe Biden infrastructure plan.
The moderate Democrats led by New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer and including Reps. Carolyn Bourdeaux, Ed Case, Jim Costa, Henry Cuellar, Jared Golden, Vicente Gonzalez, Gottheimer, Kurt Schrader, and Filemon Vela are against Pelosi’s plan to hold infrastructure hostage to secure the $3.5 trillion budget resolution, Breitbart News reported.
The Democrats want immediate consideration of the bipartisan bill so that the chamber can pass the bill and send it to the president’s desk to sign as soon as possible, rather than waiting until the fall for Democrats to potentially pass their $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill.
Now, Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) has joined the ranks of the Democrat revolt against Pelosi.
“The Senate passed a popular, bipartisan infrastructure bill negotiated by the President. It’s now before the House, but being unnecessarily delayed. I’ll vote to start reconciliation, but only if we finish our work on infrastructure,” she said in a tweet.
The Senate passed a popular, bipartisan infrastructure bill negotiated by the President. It’s now before the House, but being unnecessarily delayed. I’ll vote to start reconciliation, but only if we finish our work on infrastructure.
Read my op-ed ⬇️https://t.co/YDyMSen38P
— U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy (@RepStephMurphy) August 23, 2021
But a group of Democrats, headed by New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer, is insisting on passing the infrastructure bill first and threatening to vote no on the budget resolution if they do not get their way.
“I’ve heard from a lot of Democrats who are not part of the nine, who have said to me this is exactly right: There’s no reason why we when we have this historic once-in-a-century infrastructure package in front of us out of the Senate with a strong bipartisan vote, shouldn’t immediately bring it to the floor and vote on it as soon as possible,” he said to The Atlantic.
“They have the votes to tank it, and they’re holding the president’s priority hostage, which I don’t understand,” he said of the progressive Democrats.
“Time kills deals. This is an old business saying and the essence of why we are pushing to get the bipartisan infrastructure bill through Congress and immediately to President Biden’s desk — as the president himself requested the day after it passed the Senate,” the group said in an op-ed for The Washington Post.
“We are firmly opposed to holding the president’s infrastructure legislation hostage to reconciliation, risking its passage and the bipartisan support behind it,” it said.
