Senate passes infrastructure bill and budget framework — here’s what happens next
Barring a change in strategy, the House may not vote on final passage of either bill until well into the fall. The chamber will take its next concrete step the week of Aug. 23, when Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., plans to vote to pass the budget resolution.
Democratic lawmakers will then turn to writing their spending bill, which is expected to include a Medicare expansion, extensions of beefed-up household tax credits and universal pre-K, among numerous other policies. Schumer set a Sept. 15 target for Senate committees to finish writing their portions of the reconciliation legislation.
The bill could get delayed in the Senate, where any one Democrat can sink it. Centrist Democrats including Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona voted for the budget resolution but have signaled they will not sign off on $3.5 trillion in spending.
“Given the current state of the economic recovery, it is simply irresponsible to continue spending at levels more suited to respond to a Great Depression or Great Recession — not an economy that is on the verge of overheating,” Manchin said in a statement Wednesday.
Democratic leaders will have to craft a plan that wins over not only Manchin but also the liberal wing of the party, which could take down a bill in the House or Senate. Progressives have said the reconciliation bill needs to do more to combat climate change and buoy households than the bipartisan compromise did.
If Democrats cut too much from the $3.5 trillion package to appease centrists, they risk losing support from the other end of the party.
As they navigate intraparty disagreements, Democrats will also have to head off a barrage of GOP attacks on the reconciliation package. On Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said “this reckless taxing and spending spree is like nothing we’ve seen.”
Republicans aim to make the vote as difficult as possible for Democrats as they try to win back control of Congress in next year’s midterms. Democrats, meanwhile, want to be able to hit the campaign trail saying they helped to put more money in working families’ pockets.
Schumer acknowledged Wednesday that pushing his party’s priorities through Congress will be a slog.
“We have no illusions. Maybe the hardest work is yet to come,” he told reporters.
Schumer later added: “I believe we will get the job done.”
Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/11/senate-passes-infrastructure-bill-and-budget-resolution.html