The Democratic team led by Biden and Pelosi is in disarray.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer, Democrat of New Jersey, and Stephanie Murphy, Democrat of Florida, accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of not voting this week on a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package, despite past assurances to party moderates to do so.
The infrastructure vote was delayed as moderates and progressives within the Democratic Party languished over the size and scope of the spending bill. The spending bill is a key part of Biden's domestic agenda and is known as the Build Back Better Act. Moderates want the infrastructure bill to pass immediately, but progressives will only support it if the larger package passes at the same time. Biden and Pelosi sided with the progressives after Friday's closed-door meeting, both saying infrastructure would pass once Democrats reached an agreement on a larger bill.
Both lawmakers accused Pelosi of once again delaying a vote on the bailout package already passed in the Senate, as house progressives threatened not to support the bill until the Senate adopted a multi-trillion-dollar social welfare program that is vital to Biden's domestic agenda. Both Gotheimer and Murphy are members of the Blue Dog Coalition (Note: The Blue Dog Coalition is a caucus of 19 Democrats in the House of Representatives who are either centrist or conservative. ）
Josh Gottheimer accused Pelosi of violating "her unwavering public commitment to members of Congress and the American people to hold a vote to pass this once-in-a-century bipartisan infrastructure bill," a move That Gotheimer called "deeply regrettable." He said Pelosi had reneged on a "strong public commitment" to MPs to vote on the bipartisan bill this week. Previously, Pelosi had promised to work on the bill in the last week of September.
Pelosi struck the deal in August after moderate Democrats led by Gotheimer opposed the leadership's plan to delay its adoption. Pelosi was working to vote on a budget resolution for a larger social spending program. Gotheimer wrote, "I worked day and night with a group of lawmakers to pass this bipartisan bill. In April, we worked with our colleagues in the Senate to block the passage of this bill. But a small far left faction in the House undermined the deal, blocking a key vote on the president's historic bipartisan infrastructure bill. ”
The lawmaker was referring to a group of progressives in the House who had vowed to vote against the larger social spending plan if it didn't pass first because they feared their colleagues would cut the partisan bill if the infrastructure deal had been passed.
Rep. Stephanie Murphy, Democrat of Florida, said in a statement that she was "deeply disappointed and disappointed" after the vote was delayed again, while she also slammed what she called the "wrong efforts" of some of her colleagues to "gain 'influence' on their Democratic counterparts" and that "my position was clear from the start, and I supported bipartisan passage of the infrastructure bill," adding that she supported the adoption of larger social spending programs, "fiscal discipline, and prioritization of measures to address climate change." ”
She added, "In my opinion, there is no zero correlation between the two bills. I will continue to evaluate the merits of each bill and vote for me accordingly. Without members of Congress, and certainly not members of my own party, who have the slightest influence over my vote, I will do what I think is in the best interest of my constituents and my country, in my conscience. ”
Stephanie Murphy continued, "While I have great respect for the House Speaker, I think it was wrong for her to delay again her decision to vote on a bipartisan infrastructure bill, a promise that was written into a House resolution that all Democrats support." This written commitment is the only reason the House has enough votes to begin the settlement process, that is, to begin drafting the Build Back Better Act. ”
Senator Krysten Sinema, one of two key moderates, accused Pelosi of reneging on promises and "betraying" the trust of the American people. The Democrat, from Arizona, wrote in a statement, "Since the beginning of this year, Democratic leaders have made conflicting promises that cannot all be fulfilled." The vote to cancel infrastructure further eroded that trust. More importantly, it betrays the trust of the American people in their elected leaders."