Moderate Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) allegedly told Biden that she would vote no on the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package if the House does not vote on the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill by September 27.
No one, and I mean absolutely no one, should be surprised by this news. Sinema is one of the few people in the government who is consistent and does not put the party above her constituents.
But is she wavering?
Sinema said from the get-go that she would vote no on the $3.5 trillion bill. The House voted to advance the bill in August. Her spokesman said House proceedings “will have no impact on Kyrsten’s views about what is best for the country – including the fact that she will not support a budget reconciliation bill that costs $3.5 trillion.”
Sinema and the White House did not confirm or deny the story given to Politico Playbook.
Moderate Rep. Kurt Schraeder (D-OR) said 10 Democratic moderates in the House took Sinema’s side. They told House leadership and the White House that if the House delays the vote, “you can kiss reconciliation goodbye.”
House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) said “a delay is possible” on Sunday.
Schraeder said a delay would “be foolish on their part.” He reminded everyone that the entire leadership team was in the room when the promise was made to hold the vote by September 27.
“That would indicate they’re not playing fair in the sandbox. … It would be a travesty if they try to play games,” stated Schraeder.
The far-leftists in the House have not given up their cause either:
This is obviously big news if moderates follow through. The threat comes days after Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-Wash.) declared that House progressives had the votes to tank the infrastructure plan, aka BIF, unless it’s paired with the larger $3.5 trillion reconciliation package. But it’s become abundantly clear the reconciliation bill won’t be ready a week from today, the date when Speaker NANCY PELOSI promised moderates a vote on the $1.2 trillion bill to rebuild the nation’s roads and bridges.
The progressives supposedly think they keep yelling about killing the bill the moderates would bend the knee.
However, some moderates quietly believe “that no infrastructure bill is better than one that’s paired with $3.5 trillion in spending.”
So will the moderates cave in the end? They ended up voting to advance the bill after Pelosi agreed to hold the vote by September 27.
Will Sinema cave? If moderate Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) sticks to his guns, I bet she will remain a no even if the House votes on it by September 27. Manchin said last week he is a “hard no” on the reconciliation bill.
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