With lawmakers looking to attend the funeral of former Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) tomorrow, the end of the amendment process on the bipartisan infrastructure bill is on the horizon. After that, final passage could come next week.
Beyond that, the prospect of days of Republican obstruction over the Democrats’ massive reconciliation bill looms, as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer aims to get a budget resolution passed before senators leave for August recess.
With lawmakers looking to attend the funeral of former Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) tomorrow, the end of the amendment process on the bipartisan infrastructure bill is on the horizon. After that, final passage could come next week.
Beyond that, the prospect of days of Republican obstruction over the Democrats’ massive reconciliation bill looms, as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer aims to get a budget resolution passed before senators leave for August recess.
I may need to avoid articles on the reconciliation bill. Watching “the sausage being made” is not going to be a good thing for my blood pressure, methinks.
I frankly do not understand the “progressive” threat to vote against the bipartisan infrastructure bill if all 50 Democrats do not support the Reconciliation bill. First, that plays right into the hands of the Republicans. Second, the Democratic Party has never been the party of “lock step” - Democrats fall in love, Republicans fall in-line. We are a big tent party precisely because we welcome a diversity of ideas. If we insist on ideological purity, we just become a small, weaker version of the Republican Party and the country suffers. The best solution is to elect more Democrats in 2022 so you do not need a 100% voting block to get things done. This relentless whining is only going to make that harder.
First, that’s a mischaracterization. Pelosi is simply not going to bring the non-reconciliation bill up for a vote until the reconciliation one has been passed. Second, this is how sausage gets made. Even republicans understand “I will vote for the things you want if you vote for the things I want.” We saw throughout the Obama administration that “I will vote for the things you want, but you don’t have to vote for the things I want” is a losing strategy.
(Yes, liberals and progressives also want some of the things in the non-reconciliation bill. But not enough to give up all negotiating leverage before debate even begins.)
Oh, and let’s be careful about calling the non-reconciliation version “bipartisan”. It is still opposed by a majority of republican senators, and the minority leader has threatened repeatedly to filibuster it.
I had a career in the movie business, and I always said film is like laws and sausages, it’s best not watched being made.
LOL. I hear you. The process will probably be ugly the outcome good. Pres. Joe Biden knows what he is doing.