Democrats Pass $3.5 Trillion Budget Resolution and Advance $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill

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House Democrats pressed ahead with President Joe Biden’s economic ambitions on Tuesday after breaking an impasse that threatened to unravel the party’s outlandish spending program.

The Associated Press reports that the chamber passed a $3.5 trillion budget resolution and a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan on a party-line vote of 220-212. The decision clears the way for Democrats to create and pass an enormous spending bill without the help of Republicans, and it puts the Senate-passed infrastructure bill on track for approval in the House.

The vote advances a comprehensive “voting rights” bill that Democrats hope to pass next week. It also includes a nonbinding commitment to vote on the infrastructure bill by September 27 meant to placate nine moderate Democrats who asked the House to take up the bipartisan infrastructure proposal before taking up the Democratic budget resolution.

The nine dissenting Democrats threatened to derail the agenda that advocates claim will stimulate the economy and provide a lifeline to working-class families. Democratic leaders have portrayed the budget proposal as the largest expansion of the American social safety net in decades. The infrastructure bill has been described as a needed refresh of transportation and utilities.

The centrist Democrats signed a letter late last week expressing their opposition to moving forward with Biden’s bigger infrastructure program without first addressing the Senate-approved smaller public works plan for roads, public transportation, and broadband. Other moderates, such as Representative Stephanie Murphy of Florida, the leader of the Blue Dog caucus of centrist Democrats, joined them in raising similar concerns. Most notably, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona have said they will not support a $3.5 trillion spending bill.

Far-left Democrats have accused moderate Democrats of holding up Biden’s outrageous spending plan, and outside organizations, such as Justice Democrats and Our Revolution, have reportedly started running campaign ads and holding protests outside offices of moderate Democrats. Joseph Geevarghese of Our Revolution said he planned to “organize like never before to hold Democrats accountable and get this bill over the finish line.”

Following the vote, President Joe Biden, speaking in pure platitudes, stated, “the bottom line is, in my view, we are a step closer to truly investing in the American people, positioning our economy for long-term growth and building an America that outcompetes the rest of the world.” He also said, “my goal is to build an economy from the bottom up and middle out, not just the top down.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “not only are we building the physical infrastructure of America, we are building the human infrastructure of America” and that the legislation would be an investment rivaling the Green New Deal and the Great Society. She has set a goal of passing both the budget resolution and bipartisan infrastructure plan by October 1.

Republicans have said they plan to reject the $3.5 trillion spending package, but their support for the slightly less intrusive $1 trillion infrastructure measure is unclear. Republicans also slammed Democrats for focusing on spending while at least a few thousand Americans remain stranded in Afghanistan. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said, “we should be doing nothing else on this floor until every single American is home.”

 

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