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As Democrats in Congress are looking to pass President Joe Biden’s infrastructure proposal, Republican opposition remains in the way. Following Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s appeal to keep the two infrastructure proposals separate, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi doubled down on her stance to keep the proposals linked.
Pelosi doubled down on keeping both the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the bill that could be passed on Democratic Party lines linked in its passage. The Democratic House Speaker told the House Democratic caucus in a closed-door meeting that she will stick by the strategy of withholding a House infrastructure vote until a Senate passes a Democratic-led proposal aimed at families. The comments effectively dismiss McConnell’s appeal to passing the bills separately.
The comments also follow President Joe Biden’s previous remarks that he pledged to veto the bipartisan proposal if Congressional Democrats’ social benefits package is also not passed. Biden later walked back on the statement, following criticism from Republicans. McConnell jumped at the reversal made by Biden, urging Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to unlink the proposals.
The Senate looks to pass the bipartisan proposal before its August recess. Pelosi stands by the liberal faction of her party, who have expressed concerns that enacting the bipartisan bill would slow down the momentum for the larger infrastructure proposals that the Democratically-controlled Senate would look to pass through reconciliation. Liberal Democrats are calling for the Senate to pass the second proposal before the House is set to vote on the bipartisan one.
Meanwhile, the House this week voted in favor of forming a select committee to investigate the January 6 insurrection. Two Republicans, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, joined their Democratic counterparts to vote in favor of its formation at a vote of 222 - 190. Prior to the vote, Pelosi expressed that she was “heartbroken” that Congress could not establish a bipartisan commission following the Senate Republicans’ filibuster of the proposal.
“We cannot wait,” said Pelosi. “We believe that Congress must in the spirit of bipartisanship and patriotism establish this commission. And it will be conducted with dignity, with patriotism, with respect for the American people, so that they can know the truth.”
