Pelosi’s Broken Promise

In another win for the far left, Speaker Nancy Pelosi broke her promise to allow a vote Monday on the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. And her excuses don’t add up. Pelosi claims she must delay because it lacks the votes to pass. Hmm: It’s hard to believe the bipartisan bill couldn’t get enough GOP support to make up for lefty defections.

Far more likely, she’s holding it hostage as she strives to save the $3.5 trillion spendapalooza that won’t win a single GOP vote — because it’s poison for the US economy.

Pelosi last month promised a Sept. 27 vote on the bipartisan bill to get her party’s moderates to start the “reconciliation” process that’s the only hope for the gargantuan “human infrastructure” bill. She repeated the promise Friday, only to renege Sunday, with a new vow to have the vote Thursday.

Progressives have been loudly threatening to vote against the bipartisan bill if it comes to the floor before the one they really want, with its vast expansion of “social justice” outlays and other Green New Deal items.

Again, they probably lack the votes to torpedo the “real infrastructure” bill: It sailed through the Senate last month with plenty of Republican support, in a 69-30 vote. Pelosi just doesn’t want to let moderate Republicans claim they were key to passage, nor let the Squad further alienate moderate Dems.

The speaker is also admitting that the Dems-only bill is in trouble, telling ABC News that it’s “self-evident” the final legislation will have a price tag lower than the current $3.5 trillion. (How much real change that means is another question: The bill’s programs would actually cost at least $5.5 trillion if it didn’t pretend that many benefits will expire after just three years.)

Pelosi is doing her best to hold off a bottom-line battle between her party’s far left and more-moderate liberals, but she’s making it obvious where her heart lies.