Liberal Democrats say a Senate plan to pass a two-part infrastructure and social spending package falls short, and they plan to seek changes if it reaches the House.
“Right now, we are pushing for a little bit more,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Washington Democrat who heads the influential House Progressive Caucus. “Because if we really want to make a difference, this is what we are going to have to do.”
House discontent comes as the Senate struggles to pass the first part of the deal. The $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill stalled Friday after lawmakers complained they had not seen accurate text of the bill. Meanwhile, lawmakers struggled to iron out differences in language over a proposed broadband high-speed internet infrastructure expansion.
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, hoped to pass the bipartisan bill and move on to the $3.5 trillion social spending package that could pass with only Democratic support using a special budgetary tactic. That proposal is running into trouble in the House.
Liberal Democrats describe urgent needs across the nation that must be met with a robust federal spending plan.
Senate Democrats believe the $3.5 trillion framework can address those needs and also win the approval of all 50 Democrats, including moderates opposed to increasing the already staggering cost. It would be paid for with tax increases on businesses and the wealthy.
At least one Democrat, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, has already signaled the $3.5 trillion package is too expensive, and she told the Arizona Republic she’ll seek to reduce it, prompting outcry and anger from the liberal wing of the party.
Jayapal said if the $3.5 trillion deal shrinks, all bets are off for passage in the House, where Democrats control a very narrow majority and much of the caucus is liberal.
“Anyone who’s trying to get us to reduce the number is going directly against delivering on the president’s vision,” Jayapal warned. “It’s hard enough to accomplish it with the number that is on the table right now.”
Jayapal said members of the Progressive Caucus want to exceed the $3.5 trillion to provide more money to reduce Medicare eligibility and support caregiving for the elderly, disabled, children, and other social needs.
The Senate proposal initially started at around $5 trillion, but Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, a Vermont Democrat and socialist, ultimately pared it back to $3.5 trillion after negotiating with centrist Democrats whose support is needed to pass it.
And there’s more trouble for the dual spending proposals.
House Democrats are signaling they may also reject the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package meant to serve as a springboard to Senate passage of the $3.5 trillion deal.
The infrastructure package sticks to funding for roads, bridges, waterways, and broadband and was negotiated by a small bipartisan group of senators. House Democrats felt excluded from the process, and many say they don’t like the results.
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio, an Oregon Democrat, said the Senate version falls short on transit spending, leaving out key policy provisions to address reducing the use of fossil fuels and other climate initiatives.
DeFazio said he’s hoping to add the missing elements and add spending to the $3.5 trillion measure, which Senate Democrats plan to take up under special rules that would allow it to pass with a simple majority.
But top Senate Democrats and the White House have signaled the $3.5 trillion measure won’t be open for changes after it reaches the House.
In that case, DeFazio warned, the measure will stall.
“It will sit,” DeFazio said. “It will sit for a very long time, which would give us an opportunity to engage the experts and the committees of jurisdiction, as opposed to the 10 random people involved in writing this bill, and propose changes and see what agreements we could come to and then talk about a path forward.”
House lawmakers were poised to adjourn for a seven-week recess on Friday, but staff-level and leadership talks on the two measures will likely continue between the House and Senate.
The Senate remained in session Friday, determined to work out differences and pass the bipartisan infrastructure deal.
House and Senate Democrats are eager to pass both packages well ahead of the 2022 campaign season partly because centrist Democrats would have more difficulty voting for high spending and tax increases while campaigning in the midterm elections to hold on to critical swing-district seats.
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DeFazio said House committees would review the spending bill in August and “and make changes that make sense.”
After that, he said, the House could send it back to the Senate with changes.
DeFazio acknowledged increasing the spending and changing the language of the infrastructure deal could run afoul of party centrists and jeopardize House passage.
“There are a lot of chokepoints here,” DeFazio acknowledged. “I’m trying right now to work with the Senate and see what they might be able to do in an amendment process to improve the bill. And we’ll see.”
