Ayanna to burn bridge bill without $3.5T social spending
U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley says she will vote “no” if the $1 trillion infrastructure bill goes in front of the House today without a guarantee that the $3.5 trillion social spending bill would also be passed.
But that $3.5 trillion package is in jeopardy as a centrist Senate Democrat on Wednesday called trillions in spending “fiscal insanity.”
Pressley and those in the Progressive Caucus continue to push for both of the massive bills. The Massachusetts congresswoman was asked how she would vote on the $1 trillion infrastructure spending bill if it came up for a vote on Thursday.
“I would vote no,” Pressley said on WBUR. “If it comes down to it, I would vote no on the roads and bridges bill in order to hold the line to get the other bill done. We need both … I’m not going to choose between the life and livelihood of the union worker building our roads and the childcare worker keeping our babies safe.
“That’s a false choice,” she added. “And the Democrats are in power, and we don’t have to give in to these false choices. This is the president’s agenda. This is the peoples’ agenda, and progressives are fighting hard to get this done for the people.”
Both pieces of legislation need to move in tandem, Pressley said.
“The deal was always that these two bills moved together, and we won’t agree to anything that doesn’t guarantee passage of the Build Back Better Act,” she said. “We’ve been saying this all along, so we’re not moving the goalposts here.”
President Biden appeared determined Wednesday to strike an agreement with two wavering Democratic senators, likely trimming back the size of his potentially historic $3.5 trillion measure that will collapse without their support.
With Republicans solidly opposed and no Democratic votes to spare, Biden dug in for another day of intense negotiations ahead of crucial votes. Aides made their way to Capitol Hill for talks, and late in the day House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer were headed to the White House to meet with Biden.
The president is looking to raise taxes on corporations and the wealthy, and use that money to expand government health care, education and other programs.
But Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia late Wednesday said he “can’t support $3.5 trillion more in spending when we have already spent $5.4 trillion since last March.”
“What I have made clear to the President and Democratic leaders is that spending trillions more on new and expanded government programs, when we can’t even pay for the essential social programs, like Social Security and Medicare, is the definition of fiscal insanity,” Manchin said, later adding, “I cannot — and will not — support trillions in spending or an all or nothing approach that ignores the brutal fiscal reality our nation faces.”