House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is facing divisions within her own party over the passage of the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill and the drafting of the partisan social spending bill. In an effort to address the concerns of moderate Democrats, Pelosi has suggested the possibility of a procedural move in order for the House to vote on both bills.
In a letter over the weekend, Pelosi said that she has consulted with the House Rules Committee on exploring a possibility of a procedural move that would allow the advancing of both the infrastructure bill and the social spending bill. Moderate Democrats have opposed the tag on the social spending bill, much like their fellow moderates in the Senate. However, Pelosi had previously made clear that the House would not vote on the infrastructure bill if the Senate does not pass the partisan spending package, leaning towards the concerns of the progressive faction of the party.
“This will put us on a path to advance the infrastructure bill and the reconciliation bill,” wrote Pelosi in the letter.
However, the nine moderate Democrats who have threatened to vote against the social spending bill if the bipartisan bill is not passed said that a procedural move is not enough. The group demanded that the House must already vote on the infrastructure bill before taking a vote on the budget resolution.
“While we appreciate the forward procedural movement on the bipartisan infrastructure agreement, our view remains consistent: We should vote first on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework without delay and then move to immediate consideration of the budget resolution,” said the group.
Pelosi also recently weighed in on the situation in Afghanistan as the Biden administration is facing backlash, mostly from Republicans, on the sudden takeover of the Taliban in the war-torn country. Pelosi released a statement Saturday calling on the international community to protect Afghan women and girls from possible mistreatment by the insurgent group.
“The Taliban must know the world is watching its actions. We are deeply concerned about reports regarding the Taliban’s brutal treatment of all Afghans, especially women and girls,” said the Democratic House Speaker.