Nancy Pelosi holds her weekly press briefing on Capitol Hill today. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she's moving full steam ahead with her plans to hold a vote on the Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill on Thursday, sounding optimistic about the bill's chances despite progressive Democrats threatening to sink it.
Why it matters: Today's vote — should it occur — will be a crucial indicator of how long it will take, and how difficult it will be, to pass President Biden's agenda.
- The impact is less about deadlines (they've been set arbitrarily by leadership), and more about the broader power struggle within the party.
- Pelosi has repeatedly made clear she doesn't plan to put the bill on the floor unless it has the votes to succeed.
What she's saying: "We are proceeding in a very positive way" to pass the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, Pelosi told reporters at her weekly press conference this morning.
- "We're on the path to win the vote," she added.
Yes, but: Almost immediately after Pelosi projected confidence in today's vote, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), No. 2 in House leadership, told Politico he isn't confident the vote will succeed.
Between the lines: As late as Wednesday evening, progressives were still digging in their heels that, at a minimum, the House, Senate and White House strike specific agreement — including a price tag — on the reconciliation package before voting on the infrastructure bill.
- That agreement is nowhere near being reached, as Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) made clear in a statement Wednesday night, and reiterated through his spokesperson Thursday morning.
What's next: It's still unclear what time the House will vote on the bill, as well as whether there will be a vote at all, as negotiations on the issue are developing every hour.