House to Vote This Week on Infrastructure Bill
The Capitol is seen at dawn as a consequential week begins in Washington for President Joe Biden and Democratic leaders in Congress who are trying to advance his $3.5 trillion "Build Back Better" and pass legislation to avoid a federal shutdown, Monday, Sept. 27, 2021. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the bill, which will send billions to states and localities, will go to the floor Thursday even as negotiations over a larger social spending package continue.
Congressional lawmakers are set to decide the fate this week of an infrastructure package that would funnel billions of dollars to state and local broadband, water, and surface transportation and transit projects.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the House will begin debate of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package Tuesday and vote on the bill Thursday, hours before key transportation programs funded through the bill are set to expire.
While the infrastructure bill had bipartisan support in the Senate, the fate of the legislation in the House has been tied to a much larger social spending package. Progressive lawmakers have said they would not support the infrastructure bill until Congress acts on the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation plan that includes new investments in education, health care, child care and environmental programs. That package has yet to be completed in the House.
"Let me just say we're going to pass the bill this week," Pelosi said of the infrastructure bill during an appearance on ABC’s "This Week” on Sunday. "I'm never bringing a bill to the floor that doesn't have the votes."
But Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said there are enough Democrats holding out for the larger proposal that the infrastructure bill doesn’t have the support needed.
"The votes aren't there," Jayapal said during an appearance on CNN Sunday morning. “I think the urgency is important. In some ways the fact that this is there has finally provided the urgency for senators to engage in reconciliation.”
The Washington Democrat called for the budget reconciliation bill to be completed before the infrastructure bill is voted on.
"We are excited to vote for both, and we will vote for both," Jayapal said. "But we need to actually get the reconciliation bill done."
Democratic leaders have sought to move negotiations forward on the budget bill, last week announcing that they had reached an agreement with the Biden administration on “a framework” of options to pay for the $3.5 trillion social spending package.
Andrea Noble is a staff correspondent with Route Fifty.
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