Thread by @JacquiHeinrich

NEW: After the bipartisan hard infrastructure bill passed in the Senate, moderate House R's and D's are convening to deploy a strategy that would guarantee enough votes to pass the bill in the House by end of summer, should Speaker Pelosi agree to take it up as standalone bill.

Given Pelosi’s commitment to not advance hard infrastructure without reconciliation too – the group is considering a proposal where the hard infrastructure vote would precede a separate vote advancing reconciliation *framework*, but not the final bill.

Members are also working with the White House on this matter – although the administration did not say whether they condone or are advising the effort to push Pelosi to cave to moderate pressures.

An administration official tells Fox the President, members of his cabinet, and senior-most White House staff are in frequent, regular contact with his colleagues in the House with respect to the bipartisan infrastructure bill, as reconciliation on a parallel track.

Part of the outreach has included calls and meetings w/ all of the ideological and constituency-based caucuses, briefings w/ jobs and family cabinet members, and one-on-one conversations with the President and senior staff.

Yesterday, Anita Dunn with individual caucus leadership (CPC, New Dems, Blue Dogs, CBC, CAPAC, and CHC for “messaging meetings” – and Secretary Granholm joined a House Democratic whip meeting today, which the administration official says “went well.”

Today Pelosi doubled down in a caucus call, saying that she would not adjust her timeline. She also delivered an implicit threat that moderates should tread lightly, saying budget resolution should not be controversial and Democrats should be able to pass it “without drama”.

Meantime, the bipartisan House members are also putting their heads together to drum up ways to build support for the legislation in home districts.

Over the last several days and weeks, members in both chambers have been circulating documents highlighting business support from industry groups, ranging from the US Chamber of Commerce to the AFL-CIO.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates tells Fox, “We are in direct, close touch with the President’s colleagues in the House, partnering with them to pass the historic bipartisan infrastructure bill...

...We’re also working with the House to pass the President’s Build Back Better agenda, which would extend the biggest middle class tax cut in American history, invest in manufacturing, cut prescription drug costs, take on climate change, and help families afford childcare, care…

…for older Americans, and education. The President looks forward to signing each bill.”

SOME BACKGROUND: There are several reasons why Republicans are taking part in this effort – despite former President Trump’s pressures not to aid any legislative win for Democrats and President Biden.

In the Senate, the central desire is to preserve the filibuster and the ability to block other Democratic initiatives like election reform, immigration, gun control, etc.

They see advancing this bipartisan legislation as a way to maintain promises from Democratic Senators Manchin and Sinema that they will buck any Democratic effort to eliminate the 60-vote threshold.

Republicans also believe by passing hard infrastructure, they can limit Dem movements with reconciliation – since a number of investments and pay-fors would already be covered in the hard infrastructure bill.

Finally, GOPers supporting the bill also point to its benefits to their home districts – adding Trump’s arguments against it (debt and deficit, cost of spending) did not pass muster, since Trump himself proposed a costlier infrastructure package that was even less paid for.

While McConnell wanted to see the bill pass, he did make efforts to ensure Republican Senators up for reelection did not needlessly expose themselves to Trump-backed primary challengers.

Of the 19 Senators who voted yea, only 4 are up for reelection: Grassley who is 87 and may not seek another term, Murkowski who comes from a deep purple district and voted to impeach Trump, Hoeven who safely won 78.6% of the vote in his last race, and Crapo who won 66%.

The other 12 will not face reelection until 2025 or 2027.

Moreover, three Senators who helped *draft* the bill ultimately backed out, voted against it – two of whom (Moran, Young) are up for reelection.

All leadership members seen potential McConnell successors also voted no.

McConnell’s strategy is not likely to be mirrored by Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy in the House – where all 435 seats will be up for grabs in 2022.

McCarthy has not yet indicated whether he will encourage or discourage support for the bill, and its passage is far from certain.

Although the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus endorsed the bipartisan infrastructure framework (also with the contingency that Pelosi allow a standalone vote), the group has not yet endorsed the final bill and thereby locked in the 28 Republican yeas, which would make up for…

…progressives who pledged to block it until social, human, and climate infrastructure passes the Senate via reconciliation.

If Pelosi does not agree to take up hard infrastructure as a standalone vote, final passage could take months as Democrats in both chambers are divided over the scope and cost of the “human infrastructure” reconciliation package.

House Democrats, including Reps Gottheimer, Lee, Vela, Golden, Cuellar, V. Gonzalez, Case, Schrader, and Costa, wrote to Pelosi this week raising concerns about proposed spending levels amid rising inflation, national debt, and previously allocated Covid relief money.

Their concerns are also being echoed in the Senate, despite all Senate Democrats voting to advance the reconciliation framework last night so it can be further hashed out by committees.

Sen. Joe Manchin said today he had “serious concerns” about the proposed $3.5T budget proposal, writing “given the current state of the economic recovery, it is simply irresponsible to continue spending at levels more suited to respond to a Great Depression or Great…

…Recession – not an economy that is on the verge of overheating.”

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema also made clear last month she does not support the $3.5T price tag.