“We Worked It Out, and It Was a Huge Win for the Country”
The bipartisan infrastructure bill that passed the Senate earlier this summer with 69 votes in favor will get a standalone vote in the House by September 27. That’s a win for the Unbreakable Nine and for supporters of two-party solutions.
The House leadership wanted to bind the popular infrastructure bill to the Democratic-only social spending and climate package. But the two measures will now rise or fall on their own merits.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) said on CNN, “At the end of the day, what was most important is that we worked it out, and it was a huge win for the country. … We’re going to, by September 27, get a standalone vote on that bipartisan infrastructure package that came out of the Senate…and that fixes everything from roads and bridges to rail, transit, broadband, invests in water infrastructure…and does everything to actually help move our country forward.”
The infrastructure bill is supported by legislators and voters of both parties, and by both business groups and labor unions. It’s evident to the vast majority of Americans that it offers desperately needed upgrades and investment.
The Unbreakable Nine put their careers at risk to get us here. Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Patricia Murphy praises Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-GA) -- a Democrat who is being targeted by the GOP in 2022 -- for her stance, writing that “taking a stand against the flawed Congressional budget process is consistent with who Bourdeaux was before she got into politics.” Murphy writes, “You certainly can’t accuse Bourdeaux of playing politics on this one.”
Bill Scher writes in Washington Monthly that the Nine “have reason to boast,” writing that “the agreement reached Tuesday proved the moderate renegades weren’t playing out of their league. They hold a stronger position this week than last week.”
Passage of the infrastructure bill makes sense, as both policy and politics. The Hill says the “bipartisan bill has been touted as a major win for President Biden, who was able to corral 19 Republican senators in addition to all 50 Democrats in the chamber to sign on to the legislation.” The NYT writes that as Biden’s approval numbers slide, passage could “possibly change the narrative of the president’s difficult late summer.”
Also…
· The House Problem Solvers Caucus is calling for a reconsideration of next week’s deadline for a full U.S. exit from Afghanistan, saying in a statement that “it is apparent that the Administration’s set date for departure from Afghanistan on August 31st does not provide enough time to evacuate all American citizens and our partners.”