There are a “lot of angry moderate Democrats” after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi once again pulled back on her promise for a vote on the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican who plans to vote for the measure if it comes as a standalone bill, said Friday.
“Twice now, Speaker Pelosi has promised a vote,” the Nebraska lawmaker told CNN’s “New Day.” “The first was Monday, and then last night, and both times she has caved to the Progressive Caucus.”
House leaders Thursday night rescheduled a vote on the bill, a key part of the Democrats’ domestic agenda, until Friday, reports The New York Times. Progressives in the House have said they will not vote for the bipartisan infrastructure bill without first voting on the $3.5 trillion reconciliation climate change and social programs bill.
“I’ll tell you, there is a lot of angry moderate Democrats today,” said Bacon. “I can’t use the words that I heard this week as I feel like her word has been crossed.”
He added that the infrastructure bill is a good one, and popular in his district.
The Farm Bureau, chamber, and manufacturers affect polls in about 70% of our district,” Bacon said. “I think Americans want a hard infrastructure bill.”
However, the measure is “tied together with the [Sen.] Bernie Sanders $3.5 trillion bill, and that is not popular in our district, so it has been a challenge trying to navigate through this,” said Bacon. “Most of us want a stand-alone separate vote on infrastructure because most Americans want that.”
At this point, there is a “minimum of 10” Republicans on board with the bipartisan infrastructure bill, but there would be more if the infrastructure bill stood alone.
“I have committed as long as it is two separate votes,” said Bacon. “I have been communicating that to my team, as well as my district. But here again, last night the speaker decided not to have the vote because she is linking it to the $3.5 trillion bill, so she is making it a clear linkage between the two. I’m trying to speak through this myself, and I’ve committed to a separate vote. I’m not telling you it is undermined on the Republican side. It’s just a fact of life.”
Brown also Friday discussed the ongoing controversy over the 2020 election and said he thinks the matter will undermine Republicans’ ability to retake the House and Senate.
“It cost us two senate seats in Georgia,” said Bacon. “On certain policy positions, we’re going to win big in 2022 if it’s about inflation, border, crime, Afghanistan. If it’s about the election, it will undermine our ability to retake the House and the Senate. [There] may be 20% or 30% who get fired up with this messaging. It does not win in middle America, with moderates, or with suburban voters. You cannot take the House back or the Senate unless you win in suburban areas…this election, if it’s about Afghanistan, if it’s about inflation, crime, and the border, we will pick up 30 or 40 seats. We’ll send Speaker Pelosi packing out the door. If it’s about election fraud, it will undermine our chances to do that.”
