Congressional Democrats are scrambling to work out a deal that will allow both the bipartisan infrastructure bill—passed by the Senate earlier this year—and the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill to clear both chambers and make their way to President Joe Biden's desk.
With Biden's and Pelosi's support, Congressional progressives agreed earlier this year that the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill and the $3.5 trillion bill would pass at the same time.
While the bipartisan bill addresses nuts-and-bolts infrastructure, the $3.5 trillion bill brings some of the sweeping changes Biden promised on the campaign trail, such as universal pre-kindergarten, dramatically expanded medicare, and drastic efforts to combat climate change.
Progressives are now facing pressure to back down from insisting the reconciliation bill pass the House before voting on the bipartisan bill, but Progressive Caucus chair Pramila Jayapal of Washington is adamant that this is a nonstarter, noting that both Pelosi and Biden agreed to this aspect of the deal.
This puts Pelosi in the unenviable position of working out a deal that will satisfy progressives in the House, but still stand a chance in the Senate—where it will need every Democratic vote, even those of big oil and pharma beneficiary Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ).
Far-right Congresswoman and prominent conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia was stripped of her committee assignments earlier this year, which is probably why she had time to troll Pelosi by jokingly offering her vote, with some significant caveats.
Greene absurdly called on Pelosi to decertify the 2020 election (something she has no power to do) and reinstate Trump (another thing she has no power to do), to fire Dr. Anthony Fauci (no power to do, as he's Biden's advisor), expel Congresswoman Maxine Waters (would require two-thirds of the House), and end mask/vaccine mandates (which are largely at the state and municipal level, not under federal control).
Greene apparently doesn't know even the most rudimentary processes of the body employing her.
Meanwhile, more serious members of Congress were actually engaging in discourse about infrastructure.
Deal?
