By Susan Cornwell
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democrats face a test of unity in the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday as they begin work on two ambitious spending plans that would devote trillions of dollars to transportation infrastructure and social programs.
While centrist Democrats are eager to pass a $1 trillion infrastructure bill that has already won approval in the Senate, liberals say they must prioritize a $3.5 trillion budget blueprint that would expand spending on childcare and education. Both measures are priorities for Democratic President Joe Biden.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is determined to launch the massive social spending framework, siding with liberals who worry it might be scaled back during the legislative process.
Some moderates have threatened, however, to withhold support for the social spending plan. That could potentially scuttle it in the House, where Democrats hold a 220-212 majority.
The first test will come on Monday evening, when the House is scheduled to vote on a procedural resolution that would advance both spending bills, as well as a separate voting rights proposal.
That would clear the way for a final vote on the budget plan and the voting rights bill on Tuesday.
“Any delay to passing the budget resolution threatens the timetable for delivering the historic progress and the transformative vision that Democrats share,” Pelosi warned in a “Dear Colleague” letter on Saturday.
She also set an Oct. 1 target date for passing both the infrastructure bill and the more sweeping social spending package that the budget resolution would allow lawmakers to fast-track.
No Republicans are expected to support the budget resolution plan, which sets the broad outline for spending on education, childcare, healthcare and climate measures favored by Biden and pays for them with tax hikes on the wealthy and corporations.
Crucially, the budget resolution plan would allow Democrats to pass those spending measures on a simple majority vote in the Senate, rather than the 60 votes required for most legislation in that chamber.
The Senate is split 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats. Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris has the power, however, to cast the tie-breaking vote.
Moderates think the House should prioritize passage of the $1 trillion infrastructure bill, getting it to Biden’s desk to sign into law so that repairs of roads, bridges and ports can begin at once.
“We cannot afford to wait months for this once-in-a-generation infrastructure investment,” Representative Josh Gottheimer said last week.
(Reporting by Susan Cornwell; Additional reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Andy Sullivan and Peter Cooney)
