I pledge to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill before September 27. Pelosi stated that she did so with the commitment to get House Democratic support for its passage. To allow the House to vote on the Build Back Better Act, which will pass the Senate, we must preserve the 51-vote privilege and work together with Senate Democrats and the House Democrats to achieve agreement.
This compromise is a major win for Gottheimer and Reps. Henry Cuellar and Stephanie Murphy (D.Texas), and other centrists who have been telegraphing to leadership for weeks that they would vote against budget resolution unless Pelosi brought up the Senate-passed Infrastructure bill for immediate vote.
The moderate Democrats stated that this was a major victory for America. They also said that it would help people get to work and put their hands in the ground. "We have a plan that will allow us to pass this once in a century infrastructure investment by September 27, which will enable us to create millions more jobs and bring the nation into the 21st Century.
Pelosi fought hard, insisting that she would not bring up the infrastructure bill for a vote until Senate passed the huge social spending bill Democrats hope to pass in the coming weeks. The Senate needed both chambers to pass the budget resolution to enable the filibuster-proof process to be completed. This is crucial in order to pass the massive spending plan that requires just 51 votes.
The Gottheimer group didn't get their initial request, but they have a public agreement that the House will review the $550bn infrastructure deal by Sept. 27, a date specified by leadership. This effectively guarantees it will be law next month if the House Democrats remain united in passing the bill.
Gottheimers group also negotiated what they consider meaningful guarantees from leaders about the size and scope of the $3.5 Trillion social spending plan. There are moderates in both chambers. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), and Kyrsten Sinema, (D-Ariz.) have indicated that they do not support such a high price.
Pelosi and her leadership team were asked to promise that the moderates would engage in extensive negotiations before the party-line bill is brought to the floor. They were concerned that a House-passed bill would be ignored by the Capitol.
It is still to be seen how the progressives, another influential faction of Pelosis caucus will react to the agreement which cuts against her promise to them to ensure that the social spending plan would pass Congress first.
While their leaders negotiated the deal, progressives remained quiet. Several prominent liberals expressed their dismay at the announcement.
"You know that the whole thing was a fiasco to be honest," stated Rep. Ilhan Omar (D.Minn.), chief voter counter for the Congressional Progressive Caucus. "I don't understand why they want to do something, but they have no goal. It seems like amateur hour.
Pelosi and her leadership cannot afford to alienate any corner of the caucus with a narrow margin of three votes.
Democracy is messy, and Democrats aren't a cult. This was the House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Tuesday. We were a large family, were diverse, and at times, were very enthusiastic. That is the House of Representatives.
The House will technically be inactive after Tuesday's vote, as lawmakers depart for their summer recess. The agreement will spark a frenzy of activity in the coming weeks as top House Democrats and their Senate counterparts work together to craft a spending bill that could pass both chambers.
The Sept. 27 vote on the infrastructure bill is now scheduled. Democratic leaders are creating a doomsday scenario, with deadlines for funding, surface transportation, and debt limits, as well as key pandemic relief programs and government funding all due by the same day.
House Budget Chair John Yarmuth, a Democratic-Ky., stated Tuesday that he thought the plan was very ambitious after the plan had been approved.
After weeks of being privately dismissed and underestimated by top Democrats, moderates are content to celebrate their immediate victory.
To avoid a difficult House vote on a package which could not become law without the support of Senate Democrats, the Gottheimer and Murphy groups had demanded that the lower chamber coordinate closely with their Senate counterparts on its final product.
We are not going to vote on a measure without 51 votes in the Senate," said Rep. Jim Costa (D.Calif.), another moderate holdout, Tuesday.
The deal almost came together, and nearly fell apart many times over the past 2 days. A surprise last hiccup over language Tuesday morning delayed the announcement of an accord by several hours.
Moderates were concerned that the agreement wasn't strong enough to guarantee a vote for the bipartisan infrastructure bill. The Rules Committee was forced back into session with revised language. Although a Democratic leader aide called the mixup "distinction without any difference", several centrists insist on the changes.
Cuellar, one moderate, said that there were "some people who wanted a little more certainty about the vote on the 27th."
Many Capitol Hill residents were surprised to see the digging-in of moderates. They had expected Gottheimer's group would cave to Pelosis' strategy. Even more centrist resistors were able to grow their ranks after Murphy pledged not to push forward Monday with a Democratic only reconciliation push until the House considers the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
The frustrations of the larger Democratic caucus over moderate intransigence erupted during an emotional closed-door meeting Monday, where House Majority Leader StenyHoyer called the internal fighting mutually guaranteed destruction.
Many Democrats were furious at Gottheimer's group Tuesday as they stalled progress on Bidens core agenda, and argued with leaders over wording.
These negotiations are not easy, according to Jim McGovern (D.Mass.), House Rules Chair. As he was getting ready to cast his vote. It takes a therapist. The therapy session is over.
Jennifer Scholtes contributed to the report.
