After weeks of balancing the differing demands inside her party, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the House will vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill this Thursday. Some remain skeptical whether or not enough votes exist for it to pass. Here are the details.
House Vote on Infrastructure Bill Is Set For Thursday
Sunday, Speaker Pelosi stated that the House would be voting on the $1 trillion infrastructure bill this Thursday, September 30, 2021. This vote will be held just before government funding is scheduled to lapse on October 1st. Last month Pelosi committed to an infrastructure vote on September 27th to appease some centrist Democrats who vowed vote against the $3.5 trillion budget.
Progressive Democrats have vowed not to vote for the Infrastructure package without the $3.5 trillion budget. Pelosi has also repeatedly stated that she would not bring a vote on the infrastructure deal absent a vote on the $3.5 trillion budget. Now, the House will vote on the Infrastructure bill, apart from the budget plan, this Thursday.
Infrastructure and Budget Separated Due to Political Disagreements
Speaker Pelosi decided against waiting on the budget blueprint to clear the Senate due to the impasse that has occurred, between Democrats and Republicans as well as within the Democrat party. Mrs. Pelosi decided to press forward on the infrastructure vote without the budget due to the realization that the budget will need to be modified.
Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have both voiced their concern with the current budget blueprint and openly declared that they will vote against it. This makes it impossible for the budget to clear the Senate. Pelosi stated Monday that she wanted to leave time for negotiations on the budget and proceed with the bi-partisan infrastructure deal. Although, it remains unclear if enough Progressive Democrats in the House will support the infrastructure bill absent the budget blueprint.
Additionally, Republican lawmakers voted against Monday's motion to fund the government until December 3rd and extend the debt limit into 2022, due to the $3.5 trillion package that Democrats are attempting to pass without their support. Pelosi, seeing the political showdown on multiple fronts, broke from her previous stance and decided to vote on the infrastructure bill this week.
How the Infrastructure Bill Will Affect You
If the infrastructure bill passes the House this week and is signed by President Biden, it will affect everyone in some way. Here is a quick breakdown of what's included in the infrastructure bill.
- $109 billion for bridges, roads, and other infrastructure projects.
- $66 billion for railways, $49 billion for public transit, $25 billion for airports, and $16 billion for ports and waterways.
- $73 billion for the nation's power structure and $55 billion for water infrastructure improvements.
- $65 billion for broadband and internet improvements nationwide.
- $7.5 billion for eclectic car charging ports.
What This Means for the $3.5 trillion Budget Blueprint
At this time, the $3.5 trillion budget will likely be reduced. Senator Manchin mentioned multiple times that Congress needs to reassess the amount of the proposed budget and hinted at the possibility of a package closer to $1 trillion. Negotiations may take weeks, if not longer, to appease all Democrats and enable them to pass it through reconciliation.
Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer said Monday that many of the programs "are now on the chopping block because Senate Republicans are playing games with the full faith and credit of the United States." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell responded that the Democrats "intend to sideline Republicans and go it alone to slam American families with historic tax hikes and borrowing."
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