Pelosi Turns Up the Pressure
Despite resistance from a group of moderate lawmakers, Democratic leaders in the House are turning up the pressure within their caucus to stick with the plan to advance President Joe Biden’s economic agenda.
The moderates are demanding that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) bring the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill passed by the Senate to an immediate vote in the House, while threatening to withhold support for Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget resolution if they don’t get their way. But Pelosi is moving ahead with a plan to vote on both the budget resolution and a voting rights measure early next week, while leaving the bipartisan infrastructure bill for a later date, perhaps in the fall.
Pelosi, who reportedly dismissed the moderates’ effort as “amateur hour” in a leadership call on Monday night, is relying on her team to apply the pressure.
“We have to hold firm. We have to stay together,” Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said on a group call for Democratic House members Tuesday, according to Politico. “If you want to be in this game, and you want the House to be a meaningful participant, then stay together next week.”
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) also joined in the effort. “Remember the psychology of consensus,” he said on the members’ call. “We're in this together, led by the President.”
The White House expressed support for Pelosi’s plan Tuesday. “All three are critical elements of the President’s agenda,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said, referring to the spending and voting proposals, “and we hope that every Democratic member supports this effort to advance these important legislative actions.”
The bottom line: Pelosi shows no signs of giving in to the moderates’ demands and appears to be betting that the holdouts will fold once they are faced with a potentially do-or-die vote next week. Expect to see her continuing to apply pressure on wayward caucus members over the next few days.