TO: U.S. Chamber of Commerce Members
FROM: Neil Bradley, EVP and Chief Policy Officer
DATE: October 4, 2021
RE: Infrastructure, Reconciliation and Where Things Stand
Where Things Stand Today and How We Got Here:
On Friday, the progressive wing of the Democratic Party was successful in linking the bipartisan infrastructure package to the partisan multi-trillion-dollar tax and spend reconciliation bill, something we at the Chamber strongly oppose.
As you may recall, on June 24, when President Biden announced his support for the bipartisan infrastructure package, he initially linked enactment of that deal with the reconciliation package, indicating that he would not sign one without the other. This created an understandable uproar among many—including the Chamber—who support the infrastructure package but adamantly oppose the reconciliation bill.
Two days later, in an unprecedented
statement, President Biden walked back his comments declaring that the bills were not linked.
Since the beginning of the year, the Chamber has strongly advocated for enactment of a bipartisan infrastructure package—not only because it is good policy that is long-overdue, but also because it would be helpful in defeating the reconciliation bill.
The Chamber’s Transportation, Infrastructure, and Logistics Committee has been working to enact major investments in our nation’s physical infrastructure for more than a decade. While no bill is perfect, Chamber members are overwhelmingly united in their desire to see the bipartisan infrastructure bill become law.
Moreover, independent passage of the infrastructure bill would demonstrate both that bipartisan legislating on important issues was still possible and that members of Congress could deliver real achievements for their constituents without resorting to the partisan reconciliation process.
Key moderate Democrats in the House and Senate—whose votes will decide the fate of the reconciliation bill—were adamant that infrastructure should be considered separate and apart from reconciliation. Key Republican leaders in the Senate also worked to ensure the independent passage of the infrastructure bill, and did so with a large bipartisan majority.
Interestingly, Senator Bernie Sanders and the House Progressive Caucus also viewed separate passage of the infrastructure bill as reducing the likelihood of reconciliation passing, which is why they threatened to defeat the infrastructure bill.
In August, a group of ten House Democrats led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer secured a commitment, adopted as part of a House rule, for a stand-alone vote on the infrastructure bill the week of September 27.
The Chamber fought hard to secure the votes to ensure the infrastructure bill would pass. Last week, however, it became clear that approximately 40 Progressive Caucus members were prepared to vote no. At the same time, the Republican leadership was whipping against the bill, leaving only about 15 Republicans prepared to support passage. Proponents of the infrastructure bill fell more than 20 votes short.
On Friday, President Biden traveled to Capitol Hill to meet with House Democrats and formally relinked the two bills. Since then, Speaker Pelosi has indicated her desire to pass the reconciliation bill and infrastructure bill before the end of October.
Where We Go From Here:
The events of the last few days make it all the more crucial that everyone across the business community does everything in our power to ensure the reconciliation bill does not pass. While the Chamber believes that passing infrastructure as a stand-alone bill prior to consideration of the reconciliation bill would have enhanced our position, that is no longer a realistic possibility.
The fate of the reconciliation bill will be decided by about a dozen House and Senate Democrats. We will educate their constituents about what is at stake and we will not hold back. Please see our current ad
here and feel free to reach out to me at
nbradley@uschamber.com to learn more about our campaign.
It also will be important that when Democrats stand with us against the reconciliation bill, we must stand with them. Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, as well as the House Democrats who voted no in committee and who have indicated they are leaning no on the vote in the full House, are facing an onslaught from progressive activists—ranging from traditional advertising to protests at their homes and offices. As long as these members keep fighting the economically devastating policies proposed in the reconciliation bill, the business community must have their backs. The next few weeks are crucial. They need to hear from you, too.
If you are willing to reach out to lawmakers, please email Joseph Sarreal at
JSarreal@USChamber.com and we will be happy to assist you.
Thank you,
Neil
