Moderate Democrats call for autonomous vote on infrastructure

Moderate Democrats seek to pressure House leaders to allow a stand-alone vote on the estimated $ 1,000 billion bipartisan infrastructure bill, while raising concerns about the party’s plans for a larger $ 3.5 trillion package.

A group of six moderate Democrats began circulating a letter to the president Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiBiden Extends Pause on Student Loan Repayments Until 2022 (D-Calif.) Who urges him to submit bipartisan legislation to a vote in the House as soon as it is passed by the Senate.

“As soon as the Senate is finished, we must submit this bipartisan infrastructure bill to the House for a stand-alone vote. This one-time investment in a century deserves its own consideration, regardless of other laws, ”says the letter, which was obtained by The Hill.

“Separately, as we begin the reconciliation process, we have concerns about the specific components of this potential package, ”lawmakers continued, referring to plans by Democratic leaders to pass a“ human infrastructure ”bill. $ 3.5 trillion as part of the budget reconciliation process later this year. .

The letter is being circulated by moderate Democratic representatives. Josh gottheimerJoshua (Josh) Gottheimer Lawmakers can’t reconcile weakening SALT cap with progressive goals Lawmakers spend more on personal security in the aftermath of insurgency Six takeaways: What FEC reports tell us about the midterm elections PLUS (NJ), Jared Golden (Maine), Kurt schraderWalter (Kurt) Kurt SchraderModerate Democrats call for 9/11 style panel to probe origins of COVID-19 Overnight healthcare: White House signals new COVID-19 strategy as delta variant spreads | McConnell calls for vaccination | Maryland says all COVID-19 deaths last month were among unvaccinated Democrats considering next step in fight against MORE spending (Oregon), Vicente Gonzalez (Texas), Case EdEdward (Ed) CasePLUS (Hawaii) and Filemon VelaFilemon Bartolome Vela Democrats face tough outlook for midterm The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden’s Next Act: A massive infrastructure plan with tax hikes (Texas), according to a source familiar with the matter.

The letter comes after the Senate votes early in the day Saturday to start wrapping up the bill, clearing a key hurdle for the upper house to pass the measure. However, GSenator OP Bill Hagerty (Tenn.) Has pledged to block attempts to speed up passage of the bill, prolonging debate for days.

Democratic leaders initially planned to pass the $ 1,000 billion package, then immediately begin the process to iron out a $ 3.5 trillion package through budget reconciliation – which would allow Senate Democrats to pass. the measure without any GOP vote.

The Senate would need the 50 Democrats to back the measure, and Pelosi can barely afford defections from his caucus.

Pelosi said she plans to put both bills to a vote at the same time, and reaffirmed that commitment during a press conference Friday.

“Anything you can do in a bipartisan way, well done. We salute him. We applaud him. We hope this will pass soon. But, at the same time, we are not moving forward leaving people behind, ”she said.

A spokesperson for Pelosi referred to the president’s remarks when asked about the letter from the moderate Democrats on Saturday.

Moderate Democratic lawmakers wrote that before the House passes a budget resolution, members should be able to consider “a detailed scope of spending levels and sources of revenue.”

“These details are crucial, especially given the combined threat of rising inflation, national debt and trillions recently, and appropriately allocated to the COVID-19 emergency. We must also have the financial resources to respond to any new wave of pandemic, ”the lawmakers wrote.