The House Democrats’ splintering leaves a vote on the bill in the air as the GOP solidifies opposition.
Senator Bernie Sanders says any attempt to pass a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill without passage of another key piece of President Joe Biden ‘s massive economic agenda would be a « violation of an agreement that was reached within the Democratic Caucus in Congress. » « More importantly, it will end all leverage that we have to pass a major [social safety net expansion] bill, » said Sanders, the Vermont independent who chairs the Budget Committee, in a statement Tuesday afternoon. « That means there will be no serious effort to address the long-neglected crises facing the working families of our country, the children, the elderly, the sick and the poor, » he said. The infrastructure package has been locked up in the House, where progressive Democrats say they won’t vote for it until they are assured about passage of Biden’s $3.5 trillion spending package, which includes universal prekindergarten, free community college, paid parental leave, Medicaid expansion and other social program measures. « This agenda is not some fringe wish list: it is the President’s agenda, the Democratic agenda, and what we all promised voters when they delivered us the House, Senate and White House, » Representative Pramila Jayapal, a Washington Democrat who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said in a statement Tuesday.
