WASHINGTON — Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement in response to developments in negotiations around an infrastructure package, including statements by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA-12) that “[t]here ain’t no infrastructure bill without the reconciliation bill” passed by the Senate first that the House of Representatives would consider.
“For weeks, House progressives have been adamant that the White House and Congressional leadership cannot abandon the deep needs in American communities on climate action, housing, health care, childcare, immigration, and making billionaires and large corporations finally pay their fair share, for the sake of a bipartisan compromise. A recent poll of our 95-member Caucus showed overwhelming support for the House not passing a bipartisan infrastructure bill unless a larger reconciliation package containing our progressive priorities moved simultaneously.
“The stakes are too high in this moment, and progressives won’t let our chance to meet the needs of working families pass without a fight. We thank the Speaker for her work in these negotiations, and her commitment to guaranteeing that Congress will not only pass legislation to fix our roads and bridges, but also build back bold by enacting the transformational change that Democrats were elected to deliver for the people.”
