AOC says there’s ‘more than enough’ House votes to block infrastructure if no reconciliation bill
Ocasio-Cortez and other progressives have been critical that the bipartisan bill
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Forbes Media chairman Steve Forbes joins 'Fox Business Tonight' to discuss how the passage of bipartisan infrastructure package will impact America.
Hours before Senators unveiled the 2,700-page bipartisan infrastructure package with its nearly $1 trillion price tag, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., seemed the throw cold water on the bill's momentum when she said there's a chance that it never passes the House.
"If there’s not a reconciliation bill in the House and if the Senate does not pass a reconciliation bill, we will uphold our end of the bargain and not pass the bipartisan bill until we get all of these investments," she told CNN on Sunday. She said the House has "more than enough" votes to prevent passage.
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Ocasio-Cortez and other progressives have been critical that the bipartisan bill does not go far enough to advance the Democrat agenda. Politico report that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has also warned that she would not hold a vote on the infrastructure bill until the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill passes the Senate.
But at this point, that seems very unlikely.
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Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WVa., told CNN Sunday that he could not guarantee that the reconciliation package, which is intended to focus on "human infrastructure," will pass the Senate. He also warned that he would not like to see some form of "quid pro quo" when it comes to working on the two bills.
Senators on Sunday night revealed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, told reporters that a final vote could be held within a few days. The bill calls for $550 billion in new spending over five years above projected federal levels, what could be one of the more substantial expenditures on the nation's roads, bridges, waterworks, broadband and the electric grid in years.
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"We know that this has been a long and sometimes difficult process, but we are proud this evening to announce this legislation," said Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., a lead negotiator. She has said she does not support the 3.5 trillion reconciliation bill.
Every Senate Democrat would have to vote for the reconciliation bill for it to pass with Vice President Kamala Harris’ signature.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., tweeted Sunday, "Rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure is important. Addressing the long-neglected needs of working families is even more important. And we MUST address the existential threat of climate change. There can be no infrastructure bill without a reconciliation bill."
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Among the major new investments in the bipartisan package are $110 billion for roads and bridges, $39 billion for public transit and $66 billion for rail. There's also $55 billion for water and wastewater infrastructure as well as billions for airports, ports, broadband internet and electric vehicle charging stations.
The Associated Press contributed to this report