WHIP LIST: How House Democrats say they'll vote on infrastructure bill
House Democratic leaders are vowing to follow through with a pledge to moderate lawmakers to vote on the Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill by Sept. 27 — but they risk going to the floor without enough votes to pass it on that date.
Progressives insist that they won’t hesitate to vote down the bipartisan bill if the larger, Democratic-only $3.5 trillion package to expand social safety net programs and other top liberal priorities isn’t done yet. They say more than half of the 96-member Congressional Progressive Caucus will vote against the bill next week if their demands aren't met.
And while a number of members are not publicly revealing their positions, those who are represent a large enough group to tank the bill.
“They can take that bet if they want,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said Tuesday. “We would still have enough votes to defeat it.”
House Democrats can only afford up to three defections with their historically thin majority and pass legislation without any support from Republicans, who are not expected to back the bipartisan bill in large numbers.
So far, four Republicans have publicly indicated they'll back the bipartisan bill: Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), the co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, as well as Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), Tom Reed (N.Y.) and Fred Upton (Mich.)
Here’s a tally of which Democrats are publicly pledging to support or oppose the bipartisan infrastructure bill on Monday. This list will be updated.
RECENT UPDATES: Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.).
OPPOSE (9)
Cori Bush (Mo.)
"I will not support and vote for a bipartisan infrastructure bill that comes before reconciliation," Bush, a member of the "squad," said Tuesday on MSNBC's "The ReidOut."
Mark DeSaulnier (Calif.)
“It is past time for us to invest in traditional infrastructure, but America has never invested in human infrastructure in the way the rest of the developed world has. We have to invest in both, and we cannot do one without the other. The stakes are too high and America’s working families have been left behind for too long,” DeSaulnier said in a statement on Wednesday.
“I am prepared to vote NO on the Senate’s ‘BIF’ unless and until we know that the Build Back Better Act will also become law,” Huffman tweeted Tuesday. “This is not just about political leverage, it’s about policy and preserving a livable planet.”
Pramila Jayapal (Wash.)
Jayapal, the Congressional Progressive Caucus chair, has vowed that more than half her group won’t back the bipartisan infrastructure bill if the $3.5 trillion package isn’t ready yet.
Mondaire Jones (N.Y.)
"We've been clear all along: the Senate's bipartisan infrastructure deal and the Build Back Better bill must move in tandem," Jones tweeted Tuesday. "I'm looking forward to voting for the Senate deal if, and only if, we also pass a reconciliation bill that meets this moment."
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.)
Ocasio-Cortez has vowed for weeks that progressives will hold to their end of the "bargain" and withhold votes if the reconciliation package they want isn't passed yet. "If there is not a reconciliation bill in the House and if the Senate does not pass the reconciliation bill, we will uphold our end of the bargain and not pass the bipartisan bill until we get all of these investments in," Ocasio-Cortez said on CNN's "State of the Union" last month.
Ilhan Omar (Minn.)
Omar, a member of the “squad” who serves as the Progressive Caucus whip, has been adamant that progressives will not back the bipartisan bill without the social spending package in hand.
Mark Pocan (Wis.)
“What they're really doing, honestly, is they're protecting the special interests that don't want to pay for this,” Pocan said of centrists balking at the $3.5 trillion package during a virtual town hall Tuesday. “The best way we make sure that doesn't happen is we don't vote for one bill without the other. Because if we vote for the infrastructure bill, I don't know if some of the senators who are, let's just say, a little more special-interest friendly, will do the right thing and get the other bill done.”
Rashida Tlaib (Mich.)
Tlaib, a “squad” member, confirmed that she would also vote against the bipartisan bill until the larger social benefits package is completed. “Same here,” she tweeted Tuesday in response to Huffman.
SUPPORT (19)
Jake Auchincloss (Mass.)
"Whenever the Speaker decides to bring the bill to the floor, Congressman Auchincloss will be a 'yes,' " the lawmaker’s spokesman said.
Carolyn Bourdeaux (Ga.)
Bordeaux was part of the group of centrists that pressured Democratic leaders to commit to a Sept. 27 vote as part of a deal to advance a budget resolution to begin the process for the social spending plan in August.
G.K. Butterfield (N.C.)
"Congressman Butterfield said 'yes' to voting for the Senate-passed infrastructure bill if it is brought to a vote on the House floor,” said De'Marcus Finnell, a spokesperson for Butterfield.
Ed Case (Hawaii)
Case was another member of the group of centrists who secured the Sept. 27 commitment from leadership.
Jim Costa (Calif.)
Costa was also a member of the group of centrists who secured the Sept. 27 commitment from leadership.
Henry Cuellar (Texas)
Cuellar was part of the group of centrists who secured the Sept. 27 commitment from leadership.
John Garamendi (Calif.)
A spokesman for Garamendi said, “yes, he’ll support it.”
Jared Golden (Maine)
Golden, one of the most vulnerable House Democrats heading into the 2022 midterm elections, was one of the centrists who secured the Sept. 27 commitment from leadership.
Vicente Gonzalez (Texas)
Gonzalez was another member of the group of centrists who secured the Sept. 27 commitment from leadership.
Josh Gottheimer (N.J.)
Gottheimer, the co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, was the leader of the group of centrists who secured the Sept. 27 commitment from leadership. He has been outspoken in calling for next week's vote.
Susie Lee (Nev.)
A spokesperson for Lee, who likely faces a competitive reelection race in 2022, said that she has been “consistent” in calling for a vote “as soon as possible” on the bipartisan bill. Lee was among 10 Democrats who signed a letter to House Democratic leaders in July urging them to hold a vote "without any unnecessary or artificial delay upon arrival from the Senate."
Scott Peters (Calif.)
“I support immediate action on the bipartisan infrastructure bill,” Peters said in a statement after moderates secured the Sept. 27 pledge in August. “There’s no reason to hold this bill hostage while we work on what’s been left out, which is why I thank Speaker Pelosi and House leadership for making sure we vote on the bill before September 27.”
Dean Phillips (Minn.)
Phillips in a statement described himself as “among many advocating for the bipartisan infrastructure bill to be brought to the floor independent of reconciliation.”
Kurt Schrader (Ore.)
Schrader was another member of the group of centrists who secured the Sept. 27 commitment from leadership.
Elissa Slotkin (Mich.)
Slotkin, a top GOP target in the 2022 elections, said in August that "I believe that when it comes to the bipartisan infrastructure deal approved by the Senate, we must strike while the iron is hot.”
Haley Stevens (Mich.)
A spokesperson for Stevens confirmed that she will vote for the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
Thomas Suozzi (N.Y.)
A spokesperson for Suozzi said that he will vote for the bipartisan bill.
Filemon Vela (Texas)
Vela was another member of the group of centrists who secured the Sept. 27 commitment from leadership.
John Yarmuth (Ky.)
Yarmuth, the House Budget Committee chairman, told reporters on Wednesday that he will vote for the bipartisan bill.
—Updated at 4:22 p.m.
Source: https://thehill.com