Local Lawmakers Split Over $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A vote on the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package could now take place Friday, although whether or not the bill can pass remains uncertain.

There has been a battle in recent days between moderate Democrats and progressive Democrats, which is bringing the vote down to the wire tonight. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Joe Biden have been working around-the-clock trying to bring both sides together in a critical moment for the President’s agenda.

At her weekly news conference, Pelosi said there is not a fork in the road over holding the vote. Instead, she insists it’s a path forward.

“We are proceeding in a very positive way to bring up the bill, the (bipartisan infrastructure framework) to do so in a way that can win,” Pelosi said. “So far, so good for today.”

That path has been full of obstacles over the last week. A vote on the deal was originally scheduled for Monday and later delayed until Thursday after a number of progressives threatened to withhold their support until leaders agreed on the 3.5 trillion social safety net bill.

We’re hearing somewhere around a dozen Republicans could support the bill despite House GOP leadership urging members to vote against it.

Locally, we caught up with U.S. Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) who is one of the moderates on board. A spokesperson for U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) tells Erie News Now Thursday that Thompson remains undecided as details within the deal may change.

“We’ve been waiting ten years to be in a position to do this,” Reed said. “President Trump was working on it. President Trump had an infrastructure bill very similar to this bill. That’s why I’m supporting it.”

“It addresses the number one issue, the need for infrastructure in rural America and that is rural broadband. I appreciate the bipartisan efforts in the Senate,” Thompson told Erie News Now in July.

The infrastructure bill passed the Senate last month with 19 Republicans – including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell – joining Democrats, meaning approval by the House would send the deal to President Biden’s desk.