The Archive

BY JOHN BRESNAHAN, ANNA PALMER AND JAKE SHERMAN
WITH MAX COHEN AND CHRISTIAN HALL

We only have morning editions scheduled for this week, but we couldn’t help ourselves. Here’s an update from inside the Capitol this evening on a critical issue — House passage of the Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget resolution and the $1 trillion bipartisan Senate infrastructure bill.

To review: House Democratic leaders have been locked in a days-long showdown with a faction of moderate Democratic lawmakers over the process by which the House considers the budget and infrastructure proposals.

This group of 10 Democratic moderates — Rep. Stephanie Murphy of Florida officially joined them today — want to vote on infrastructure before the budget resolution. This is an attempt to get the public works bill to President Joe Biden’s desk as soon as possible. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and progressives want to pass the budget resolution first and then consider infrastructure later on. Pelosi’s strategy is aimed at making sure moderates don’t vote for the “hard” infrastructure bill and then oppose a multi-trillion dollar reconciliation package down the line. Trust but verify, with your own party basically.

Pelosi and the leadership have a plan after several hours of apparently fruitless discussions  Monday — ignore the moderates and dare them to vote no. The Democratic leadership will put a procedural rule on the floor that would “deem” the budget resolution passed, and set up the floor procedure for the infrastructure bill. The vote on that Senate legislation would take place by Oct. 1, per Pelosi’s offer, but it’s not guaranteed. Here’s the summary of the rule. 

We’re not entirely sure how this will all turn out. This plan by Pelosi doesn’t seem to solve the moderates’ central complaint — they wanted an infrastructure vote before the budget, and they’re not getting one. Several of the moderates told us Monday evening during the caucus meeting that they were inclined to vote against this plan. Pelosi has a three-vote margin, so there’s little room for error here.

If the rule fails, that would temporarily derail Biden’s agenda, which includes the American Jobs Plan and the American Family Plan, as well as the Senate infrastructure bill.

So this is some high-stakes political maneuvering. Pelosi had a call with the moderates today to try to work out a compromise, and it apparently didn’t go well. We’re seeing a real-time test of Pelosi’s sway here.

In a closed-door Democrats Caucus meeting this evening, Pelosi and the leadership team said the majority party always votes for the rule. Of course, left unsaid is that this rule vote includes the budget, so it’s not as simple as a party unity vote.

We’ll have more for you soon.