House Speaker Nancy Pelosi delayed a key vote on a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill after House liberals remained firm in their threat to sink the legislation, and negotiations between congressional leaders, White House officials, and centrist West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin ended without agreement late Thursday night.
The decision to push talks into Friday came after Pelosi signaled throughout the day the vote would happen, calling down-to-the-wire discussions “the fun part” of negotiations on President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” agenda.
“Many thanks to Members of our Caucus for your participation and patience over the past few days,” California Democrat said in a letter to colleagues Thursday night. “The Bipartisan Infrastructure bill has already had its rule passed and its debate has concluded. All of this momentum brings us closer to shaping the reconciliation bill in a manner that will pass the House and Senate.”
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Throughout the day, liberals and centrist House Democrats emerged from meetings in Pelosi’s office, signaling polar-opposite predictions about whether they’d be a vote late Thursday.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a centrist Democrat from New Jersey and leader of the wing pushing for an immediate infrastructure vote, told reporters he was optimistic about the vote. On CNN, he said that he was “1000% sure” the bill would pass Thursday night.
But Rep. Pramilla Jayapal, a Washington Democrat and leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told reporters: “If it happens, it will go down, and I don’t believe it’s gonna happen.”
Left-wing lawmakers want an agreement on the Democrats’ go-it-alone sweeping social spending budget reconciliation bill of up to $3.5 trillion before they vote on the infrastructure bill, seeking leverage to keep that bill from being watered down or abandoned altogether. Around 50 of their members, plus others not in the caucus, planned to vote against the infrastructure bill if it came up without their demands being met.
The infrastructure bill has already passed the Senate with bipartisan support, and centrist Democrats see no reason to delay giving Biden a much-needed legislative win and making money available to states and localities for infrastructure projects as soon as possible.
That internal Democratic division has put Pelosi in what some describe as her “toughest challenge” ever in Congress.
Centrists balk at not only the size of the $3.5 trillion proposals but also its content.
Manchin, a key critic of the $3.5 trillion top-line figure, threw a curveball when it was revealed Thursday he had proposed to the White House in June a $1.5 trillion figure for the reconciliation bill — far away from what liberals prefer.
White House officials spent hours in talks with Manchin, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Pelosi at the Capitol on Thursday night, hoping to agree on a framework to woo progressives into voting for the infrastructure bill.
“I don’t see a deal tonight. I really don’t. And I’m hoping that everyone is sympathetic towards we’re trying to work,” Manchin told reporters as he left the Capitol shortly before 10 p.m.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent and an architect of the $3.5 trillion proposal, tore into congressional leaders for how they handled the process.
“It is an absurd way to do business, to be negotiating a multitrillion-dollar bill a few minutes before a major vote with virtually nobody knowing what’s going on. That’s unacceptable,” Sanders told reporters, urging progressives to vote no on the infrastructure bill if it came up on Thursday night.
After the vote delay, Gottheimer projected hope in a tweet, noting the House is technically not adjourning before it comes back into session on Friday when it may try to vote on the bill again — making any Friday activity part of the Sep. 30 legislative day.
“It ain’t over yet!” Gottheimer tweeted. “Negotiations are still ongoing, and we’re continuing to work.”
But in person, Gottheimer appeared less than thrilled, reportedly speed-walking into Pelosi’s office without speaking to reporters.
Just after midnight, Pelosi walked out of her office and declared, “There will be a vote today.”
Some liberals, despite being told on a caucus call on Thursday evening to not gloat if the bill failed, did a victory lap.
Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota took a swipe at Gottheimer’s “1000%” confidence line from earlier in the day.
“In Congress, we don’t make predictions like this until we know we have the votes. Some of us get this, others bluff & fall on their face,” Omar tweeted.
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White House press secretary Jen Psaki signaled in a statement that the vote’s delay does not mean Biden’s legislative agenda, encompassing both of the bills, is in peril.
“A great deal of progress has been made this week, and we are closer to an agreement than ever. But we are not there yet, and so, we will need some additional time to finish the work, starting tomorrow morning first thing,” Psaki said.
