Moderate Dems Strike Deal With Pelosi on Timing of Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Vote

What’s the story?

• A group of moderate House Democrats who had threatened to withhold their support for Democrats’ budget resolution to use reconciliation for a $3.5 trillion spending plan reached a deal with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Tuesday to allow the budget resolution to go forward in exchange for a commitment to vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
• The House on Tuesday adopted a rule that deemed the budget resolution passed, thus allowing negotiations on the reconciliation package to begin, and stipulated that the bipartisan infrastructure bill will be brought to the floor by September 27th. That date is particularly notable because the bipartisan infrastructure bill contains reauthorizations of transportation and water resources programs due to expire at the end of September. 
• Additionally, Pelosi released a statement that the House should only vote on a reconciliation bill that can pass the Senate ― a key demand for moderates who wanted to avoid taking an initial vote on a more expansive package that would subsequently be whittled down by the Senate. 
• Democrats’ threadbare majorities in both chambers mean that the reconciliation bill will need to be satisfactory to all 50 senators in the Democratic caucus (plus Vice President Kamala Harris), and can only lose the support of four House Democrats.
• It’s unclear how quickly Democrats will be able to unite around a reconciliation package that can pass both chambers. Committees have been instructed to compile their components of the package by mid-September, although it’s possible that the reconciliation bill won’t be finalized until October.
• If there are delays in reconciliation negotiations, it’s possible that progressive Democrats in either chamber could oppose the bipartisan package in an effort to preserve their leverage over the reconciliation bill, but their opposition could be overcome by support from House Republicans when the bipartisan bill gets a vote.

— Eric Revell

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