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Pelosi says optimistic about infrastructure, promises there will be reconciliation bill
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Continued her efforts Thursday morning to reassure House progressives that Congress will pass a reconciliation bill while projecting the confidence that the infrastructure bill will be adopted, despite its seemingly bleak outlook.
“The reconciliation bill is the culmination of my service to Congress,” Pelosi said. “Take any doubts in anyone’s mind that we won’t have a reconciliation bill. We will certainly have a reconciliation bill.
House progressives are the ones threatening to defeat the infrastructure bill in a vote scheduled for Thursday.
Pelosi also said she believed things were going well thanks to the efforts to get votes for the infrastructure bill, despite the fact that she wished she had more time to negotiate.
“We are proceeding in a very positive way to bring up the BIF bill, to do it in a way that can win. And so far so good,” Pelosi said. She added that Democrats “are on the right track to winning the vote.”
When asked if the bill would pass on Thursday, Pelosi replied: “This is the plan.”
Pelosi was also asked about Senator Joe Manchin, DW.Va., one of two Senate moderates who present perhaps the biggest obstacle to reaching an infrastructure deal. Pelosi complimented the senator and said she believed he was open to negotiation – despite Manchin’s statement opposing a $ 3.5 trillion reconciliation bill on Wednesday night.
“We are talking about substance. We are not talking about rhetoric. And we are not even talking about dollars. We are talking about what is important in legislation and where can we find common ground,” Pelosi said. “We have our common ground.”
Despite the wide rift between Manchin and the progressives – and threats from the progressives to torpedo the infrastructure bill – Pelosi maintained an air of optimism that the infrastructure bill will pass on Thursday.
“I don’t plan on doing nothing. I plan to move forward in a positive way,” she said. “We are on the right track to win the vote.”
It would likely take a massive change to the status quo for the infrastructure bill to pass on Thursday, as dozens of progressives say they won’t vote for it without much progress on reconciliation. Meanwhile, only a handful of House Republicans remain in favor of the infrastructure bill. Democrats have a slim three-vote majority.
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