Addressing the nine conservative House Democrats threatening to vote down their party’s $3.5 trillion budget resolution, Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington said Sunday that there’s nothing “moderate” about tanking an effort to expand Medicare, invest in green energy development, and establish long-overdue paid family and medical leave programs.
“We can’t call people moderate Democrats if they vote against child care, paid leave, healthcare, and addressing climate change,” Jayapal, chair of the nearly 100-member Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), wrote Sunday. “This is the Democratic agenda, it’s the president’s agenda, and it’s what we promised people across America. Now we must deliver.”
Jayapal’s comments came days after a group of nine House Democrats — almost invariably described as “moderates” in press coverage — sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) declaring that they will not consider voting for the Senate-passed budget resolution until the lower chamber first approves a $550 billion bipartisan infrastructure bill, which has been widely criticized as inadequate and potentially damaging to the climate. The Senate passed the bipartisan bill last Tuesday.
The conservative Democrats’ letter on Friday augured a stand-off between the right wing of the House Democratic caucus and the chamber’s progressives, many of whom have committed to withholding their votes for the bipartisan infrastructure bill until the Senate also passes a sweeping budget reconciliation package that includes their priorities.
“Our caucus is clear: the bipartisan bill will only be passed if a package of social, human, and climate infrastructure — reflecting longstanding Democratic priorities — is passed simultaneously through budget reconciliation,” Jayapal said last week.
We can’t call people moderate Democrats if they vote against child care, paid leave, health care, and addressing climate change.
This is the Democratic agenda, it’s the president’s agenda, and it’s what we promised people across America. Now we must deliver. pic.twitter.com/S0dK8tGLPV
— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) August 15, 2021
In order to begin crafting a reconciliation bill that can pass Congress without Republican support, both the House and Senate must first approve an identical budget resolution that sets the spending boundaries of the legislation. Last week, the Senate passed a $3.5 trillion budget resolution, and the House is expected to take up the measure when members return from recess next week.
Pelosi, who has said she will not allow a vote on the bipartisan bill until the Senate greenlights a reconciliation package, wrote in a “Dear Colleague” letter on Sunday that the leadership’s “goal is to pass the budget resolution the week of August 23rd so that we may pass Democrats’ Build Back Better agenda via reconciliation as soon as possible.”
In an apparent attempt to placate the nine conservative Democrats threatening to revolt, Pelosi added that she has “requested that the Rules Committee explore the possibility of a rule that advances both the budget resolution and the bipartisan infrastructure package.”
“This will put us on a path to advance the infrastructure bill and the reconciliation bill,” Pelosi wrote. “When the House returns on August 23rd, we will proceed in a way that builds consensus in our caucus, promotes the values of our party and advances the President’s transformative vision to Build Back Better.”
But in a joint statement Sunday night, the conservative group led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) rejected Pelosi’s proposal, arguing that “we should vote first on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework without delay and then move to immediate consideration of the budget resolution.”
Given Democrats’ narrow control of the House and the GOP’s unanimous opposition, Pelosi can only afford three defections from the budget resolution. And progressives likely have the votes to block the bipartisan infrastructure bill, depending on how many House Republicans support it.
Progressives believe that keeping the bipartisan infrastructure bill tied to the reconciliation package is necessary to ensure that both ultimately pass Congress. In an appearance on MSNBC late last week, Jayapal said members of the CPC are worried that approving the bipartisan infrastructure bill first would free conservative Democrats to sink the reconciliation measure, which represents the cornerstone of President Joe Biden’s social spending and climate agenda.
“We want to deliver both bills to the president in September and have him sign them into law so we deliver for the American people,” said Jayapal. “The best way to keep the urgency and momentum up is to do both bills together, and to make sure that everyone understands that whatever their priority is — whether it’s in the infrastructure bill or whether it’s in the Build Back Better reconciliation package — the way we get them done is to move them at the same time to the president’s desk.”
“Without that,” Jayapal added, “you’re going to have a lot of people trying to push for one piece and not voting for another piece.”
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.
In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
We urgently need your help to prepare. As you know, our December fundraiser is our most important of the year and will determine the scale of work we’ll be able to do in 2025. We’ve set two goals: to raise $140,000 in one-time donations and to add 1469 new monthly donors by midnight on December 31.
Today, we’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
If you have the means to make a substantial gift, please dig deep during this critical time!
With gratitude and resolve,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy