Abandon Ship! Progressive Caucus Threatens to Bail on Infrastructure Deal

Presidentish Joe Biden has staked his legacy on a Great Society-size expansion of the federal government, all wrapped up in a $3.5 trillion bill ostensibly aimed at improving the nation's infrastructure.

There's a smaller, bipartisan bill that costs "Only" $1.2 trillion and which is slightly more focused on actual infrastructure.

They're both opposed to some of the increased taxes and the amount of spending in the bigger bill, and that has the House Progressive Caucus fuming that they might not get their $3.5 trillion for Christmas.

That's why progressive Congresscritter Pramila Jayapal told CNN's Jake Tapper Tuesday afternoon that her caucus is more than willing to torpedo the smaller bipartisan bill if they don't get their way on the bigger bill.

"More than half" of the Congressional Progressive Caucus members, Jayapal told Tapper, "Will not move the bipartisan bill without the reconciliation bill being passed."

Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal on the bipartisan infrastructure bill and reconciliation package: "More than half" of the Congressional Progressive Caucus members "Will not move the bipartisan bill without the reconciliation bill being passed." pic.

Jayapal might not be bluffing, but that doesn't mean she and her caucus wouldn't be open to a deal - a reconciliation bill just small enough to bring Manchin and Sinema on board, but still big enough to lock in a permanent and radical expansion of federal powers.

https://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2021/09/22/abandon-ship-progressive-caucus-threatens-to-bail-on-infrastructure-deal-n1480577