Politico | Nancy Pelosi says infrastructure bill will pass this week – but hedges on timing
- ‘Let me just say we’re going to pass the bill this week,’ House Speaker Pelosi said
- Along with the infrastructure bill, Democratic leadership is also hoping to push through the US$3.5 trillion social spending package this week
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Maya Parthasarathy on politico.com on September 26, 2021.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday said that Democrats will pass an infrastructure bill with US$550 billion in new spending sometime this week, but would not specify exactly when or nail down the timing for the US$3.5 trillion social spending package.
The House last month voted for a September 27 deadline to bring the bipartisan infrastructure plan to the floor. On Sunday, Pelosi did not specify when this week it would be voted on.
“Let me just say we're going to pass the bill this week,” Pelosi said on ABC's This Week. She later added, “I'm never bringing a bill to the floor that doesn't have the votes.”
Along with the infrastructure bill, Democratic leadership is also hoping to push through the US$3.5 trillion social pending package this week, in part to retain the support of progressives who might otherwise not vote for the infrastructure bill.
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said last week that more than 50 members of her caucus plan to vote no on the infrastructure bill if there is not first agreement on the social investment bill; speaking on Sunday morning on CNN’s State of the Union programme, Jayapal again called for the social-spending package to be resolved before the infrastructure bill is voted on.
Pelosi agreed that to get the necessary votes there would have to be further changes to the social-spending bill passed by the House Budget Committee on Saturday.
The spending package faces opposition in the Senate not only from Republicans, but also Democratic Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who have voiced reservations to the US$3.5 trillion price tag.
Pelosi said it “seems self-evident” that the final number will end up being smaller than US$3.5 trillion, but that Democrats are “ready” to negotiate and come to a consensus.
“Obviously, with negotiation, there will have to be some changes in [the US$3.5 trillion price tag] – the sooner the better so that we can build our consensus to go forward,” Pelosi said.
Adding to the complications is the possibility of a government shutdown.
While Pelosi expressed confidence that the government would stay open, Republicans have said they will not provide any votes to avoid default.
“Isn't that irresponsible beyond words?” Pelosi asked, pointing out that Democrats cooperated three times during the Trump presidency to lift the debt ceiling. “Who said it more articulately than Mitch McConnell at the time: 'You cannot play Russian roulette with the debt ceiling and well-being of our economy,'" she said, quoting the current Senate minority leader.
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