Moderates revolt on infrastructure in new challenge for Pelosi | TheHill

The Democrats’ strategy for enacting President BidenJoe BidenBiden urges Californians to vote against effort to recall Newsom Taliban’s advance picks up speed, intensifying Afghanistan crisis Overnight Defense: Troops head back to Afghanistan to aid diplomatic evacuation MORE‘s agenda hit a major snag Friday when nine House moderates bucked party leaders with threats of tanking a $3.5 trillion budget bill unless they can vote first on the Senate’s $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal.

The ultimatum flips leadership’s preferred sequence on its head, and it presents a blunt challenge to Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiHillicon Valley: US has made progress on cyber but more needed, report says | Democrat urges changes for ‘problematic’ crypto language in infrastructure bill | Facebook may be forced to unwind Giphy acquisition Harris hosts CEOs, executives at White House to discuss affordable childcare Pelosi announces House staffers can now earn higher salaries than lawmakers MORE (D-Calif.), who has laid out carefully choreographed plans to withhold a House vote on the bipartisan bill until the Senate passes a second, larger package of health, climate and safety net benefits later this year.

The notion of linking the two bills reflects the demand of House progressives, who simply don’t trust their moderate colleagues — particularly those in the Senate — to support the “family” benefits package if the more popular funding for physical infrastructure has already become law.

The budget resolution, which lays the groundwork for the larger reconciliation package, has already passed the Senate and is scheduled for a House vote the week of Aug. 23.

Yet the competing demands from the party’s furthermost ideological wings has created an impasse, at least temporarily, and if Biden’s year-one economic agenda is to be enacted, one side will have to give in. That means either some progressives will have to change their tune and support infrastructure without Senate passage of the $3.5 trillion social benefits package, or some moderates will have to drop their threat and support the budget resolution without an infrastructure vote beforehand.

Neither side appeared ready to budge on Friday.

“With the livelihoods of hardworking American families at stake, we simply can’t afford months of unnecessary delays and risk squandering this once-in-a-century, bipartisan infrastructure package,” the nine moderates, led by Rep. Josh GottheimerJoshua (Josh) GottheimerHouse moderates call for immediate vote on bipartisan infrastructure bill It’s now Pelosi’s move on bipartisan roads bill Moderate Democrats push for standalone infrastructure vote MORE (D-N.J.), wrote to Pelosi. “It’s time to get shovels in the ground and people to work.”

Liberals wasted little time firing back.

Rep. Pramila JayapalPramila JayapalIt’s now Pelosi’s move on bipartisan roads bill Biden emboldens establishment Democrats with ballot box wins Hillicon Valley: Senators highlight security threats from China during rare public hearing | Facebook suspends accounts of NYU researchers who’ve criticized platform MORE (D-Wash.), citing Biden’s pledge to fortify the post-pandemic economy for all Americans, argued Democrats have “a moral imperative” to deliver on that promise.

“Anyone who votes to slow down or stop progress on this popular and necessary Build Back Better reconciliation package is voting against the President’s and the Democrats’ agenda,” Jayapal, the head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said in a statement.

In sharper words, Jayapal blasted out a campaign fundraising email warning that the moderates were threatening to sink Biden’s plans to expand paid leave, housing subsidies, Medicare and efforts to address climate change.

“Blocking this from passing means blocking these priorities — and we can’t allow it,” the email reads.

Pelosi, for her part, has remained silent on the topic. And White House officials, who did not hold a press briefing Friday, did not respond to a request for comment.

A senior Democratic aide downplayed the threat the moderates may pose to Biden’s agenda, noting that the centrist objectors represent a tiny fraction of a Democratic Caucus that otherwise largely supports the two-track voting schedule laid out by the Speaker.

“There are not sufficient votes to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill this month,” the aide said in an email, referencing the liberals’ opposition. “This is 9. There are dozens upon dozens who will vote against the [bipartisan infrastructure bill] unless it’s after the Senate passes reconciliation.”

That message has not appeased some of the moderates, however, who see clear advantages to the quick adoption of the bipartisan infrastructure bill. Not only would that tactic allow Biden and Democrats to space out their victories over the course of several months, they argue, but it would also prevent the larger — and more controversial — reconciliation bill from overshadowing the bipartisan agreement on infrastructure.

“It’s going to muddle the message entirely,” a senior Democratic aide associated with the party’s moderate wing said Friday. “If this gets caught in the cross-currents of reconciliation, people will forget that it ever happened, and no one will get credit for it.”

The aide also cautioned that marrying the two bills is no guarantee that moderates will support the larger reconciliation bill, the details of which remain to be seen.

“Liberals seem to think that linking the two bills will automatically get these moderate members to a yes on reconciliation,” the aide said. “I think that’s a misunderstanding of the dynamics in the moderate wing of the party.

“They view these things as very separate.”

Aside from Gottheimer, the other moderates endorsing Friday’s infrastructure ultimatum were Reps. Henry Cuellar (Texas), Jim CostaJames (Jim) Manuel CostaModerate Democrats call for 9/11-style panel to probe COVID-19 origins Biden waiving sanctions for Nord Stream 2 pipeline firm: report On The Money: Weekly jobless claims fall to 498K, hitting new post-lockdown low | House to advance appropriations bills in June, July MORE (Calif.), Kurt SchraderWalter (Kurt) Kurt SchraderHouse moderates call for immediate vote on bipartisan infrastructure bill It’s now Pelosi’s move on bipartisan roads bill Moderate Democrats push for standalone infrastructure vote MORE (Ore.), Filemon VelaFilemon Bartolome VelaHouse moderates call for immediate vote on bipartisan infrastructure bill It’s now Pelosi’s move on bipartisan roads bill Moderate Democrats push for standalone infrastructure vote MORE (Texas), Vicente Gonzalez (Texas), Jared Golden (Maine), Ed CaseEdward (Ed) CaseMORE (Hawaii) and Carolyn Bourdeaux (Ga.).

Just as significant as the nine names on the letter were the names of prominent moderates notably absent. Three out of the four co-chairs of the Blue Dogs — Reps. Stephanie MurphyStephanie MurphyThe Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by AT&T – Pelosi refuses to budge on bipartisan infrastructure bill It’s now Pelosi’s move on bipartisan roads bill Lawmakers can’t reconcile weakening the SALT cap with progressive goals MORE (D-Fla.), Abigail SpanbergerAbigail Davis SpanbergerIt’s now Pelosi’s move on bipartisan roads bill Biden emboldens establishment Democrats with ballot box wins Hillicon Valley: Federal cyber agency kicks off effort to defend US against cyberattacks | Senators introduce bill to sanction nations tied to ransomware attacks | Amazon pushes back corporate reopening MORE (D-Va.) and Tom O’Halleran (D-Ariz.) — did not sign on, while Case did.

Other moderate Democrats who did not join the effort included Reps. Elissa SlotkinElissa SlotkinHouse erupts in anger over Jan. 6 and Trump’s role House passes host of bills to strengthen cybersecurity in wake of attacks Democrat unveils bill to allow only House members to serve as Speaker MORE (D-Mich.), Elaine LuriaElaine Goodman LuriaOvernight Defense: Watchdog blasts government’s handling of Afghanistan conflict | Biden asks Pentagon to look into mandatory vaccines | Congress passes new Capitol security bill Overnight Defense: House Armed Services starts defense bill markups | Two Navy sailors die of COVID-19 | Pentagon reimposes mask mandate in some places Misled condemnation of the Lebanese Armed Forces will help Hezbollah MORE (D-Va.), Lucy McBathLucia (Lucy) Kay McBathEverytown recruiting gun violence survivors to run for office Critical race theory becomes focus of midterms Overnight Health Care: Fauci clashes with Paul – again | New York reaches .1B settlement with opioid distributors | Delta variant accounts for 83 percent of US COVID-19 cases MORE (D-Ga.) and two of Gottheimer’s New Jersey colleagues: Reps. Andy Kim and Tom MalinowskiThomas (Tom) MalinowskiBiden officials voice support for US assistance to Egypt amid criticisms of human rights House lawmakers push for diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics Kean Jr. to run against Malinowski: report MORE.

Malinowski went so far as to warn that the tactics by the nine moderates could derail Biden’s entire fragile 2021 agenda.

“The important thing to me is to get both bills passed and to the president,” Malinowski told The Washington Post. “I fear that forcing a vote now [on infrastructure] would undermine, not advance, that goal.”

But the majority of moderates are staying out of the fray for now, waiting to see how Pelosi responds and the intraparty drama plays out.

“While I remain quite concerned about the size of the reconciliation package, much of the physical and human infrastructure proposals are of such transformational importance to America that I remain committed to finding a path to success for both,” Rep. Dean PhillipsDean PhillipsLawmakers spend more on personal security in wake of insurrection Omar feuds with Jewish Democrats Shakespeare gets a congressional hearing in this year’s ‘Will on the Hill’ MORE (D-Minn.), a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus who did not sign the letter, told The Hill on Friday.

“I’ll be keeping my powder dry as I work with members on both sides of the aisle.”