一群众议院温和派威胁要炸毁民主党通过一项法案的计划3.5万亿美元预算决议当众议院定于8月23日的那一周返回时，除非众议院也就1.1万亿美元的两党基础设施法案进行投票。
在参议院本周批准这项措施后，众议院民主党人打算在8月下旬就3.5万亿美元的预算蓝图进行投票。这预算蓝图允许众议院和参议院起草一份和解法案，其中充满进步的优先事项，可以简单多数通过，无需共和党支持。
众议院议长南希·佩洛西表示，众议院不会就1.1万亿美元进行投票基础设施法案直到更大的3.5万亿美元和解法案也获得了参议院的批准，这一条件得到了她所在政党进步人士的全力支持。
华盛顿民主党众议员普拉米拉·贾亚帕尔(Pramila Jayapal)表示:“三个月来，我们一直明确表示，除非已经通过和解方案，其中包括为我们的五个优先事项提供足够的资金，否则我们不会投票支持两党方案。领导国会进步核心小组的本月早些时候告诉记者。
在周五发给佩洛西的信中，温和派议员坚持要对该法案进行表决两党基础设施法案并表示他们的地区不能承受“几个月的不必要的延误”
民主党在众议院仅占三个席位的多数。只要有足够的决心挑战佩洛西和白宫，任何少数成员都可能成为潜在的障碍。
信中写道:“这个国家叫嚣着基础设施投资和常识性的两党解决方案。“由于勤劳的美国家庭的生计岌岌可危，我们根本无法承受数月的不必要延误，也无法承担浪费这个百年一遇的两党基础设施一揽子计划的风险。是时候把铲子放到地里，让人们干活了。”
这封信是由民主党两党问题解决者核心小组联合主席乔希·戈特海默(Josh Gottheimer)议员发起的，并得到了其他八名温和派民主党人的支持:得克萨斯州的亨利·库勒尔、加利福尼亚州的吉姆·科斯塔、俄勒冈州的库尔特·施拉德、得克萨斯州的菲力蒙·维拉、得克萨斯州的维森特·冈萨雷斯、缅因州的贾里德·戈尔登、夏威夷的埃德·凯斯和佐治亚州的卡罗琳·布尔多。
一名民主党高级助手周五淡化了这一威胁，并表示温和派代表了赞成佩洛西最初计划的更大核心小组的一小部分。
“这是9号。这位助手告诉美国广播公司新闻，除非参议院通过和解，否则将有数十人投票反对(两党基础设施法案)。
这位助手补充说，本月“没有足够的票数”通过两党基础设施法案，并注意到佩洛西在本周早些时候的一次私人电话会议上对她的核心小组的评论，当时她说她的计划反映了众议院民主党人的“共识”。
“总统已经表示，他完全支持两党合作的方式...太棒了。这是进步，但不是全部，”她说。"众议院和参议院的投票取决于我们是否拥有这两项法案。"
House moderates threaten to block budget vote over infrastructure funding
A group of House moderates is threatening to blow up Democrats' plans of passing a$3.5 trillion budget resolutionwhen the chamber is set to return the week of Aug. 23 unless the chamber also votes on the $1.1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill.
House Democrats intended to vote on the $3.5 trillion budget blueprint in late August after the Senate approved the measure this week. Thebudget blueprintallows both the House and the Senate to craft a reconciliation bill, filled with progressive priorities, that can be passed with a simple majority and without Republican support.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said the House will not vote on the $1.1 trillioninfrastructure billuntil the larger $3.5 trillionreconciliation billhas also cleared the Senate, a condition which is wholeheartedly approved by progressives in her party.
"We have been clear for three months that we are not going to vote for the bipartisan package unless there is a reconciliation package that has passed that includes sufficient funding for our five priorities," Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., who heads the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told reporters earlier this month.
In the letter sent to Pelosi on Friday, moderate lawmakers insisted on a vote on thebipartisan infrastructure billand have said their districts can't afford "months of unnecessary delays."
Democrats have just a three-seat majority in the House. Any handful of members can be potential roadblocks if they are determined enough to challenge Pelosi and the White House.
"The country is clamoring for infrastructure investment and commonsense, bipartisan solutions," the letter states. "With the livelihoods of hardworking American families at stake, we simply can't afford months of unnecessary delays and risk squandering this once-in-a-century, bipartisan infrastructure package. It's time to get shovels in the ground and people to work."
The letter was spearheaded by Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., a co-chairman of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, and endorsed by eight other moderate Democrats: Reps. Henry Cuellar of Texas, Jim Costa of California, Kurt Schrader of Oregon, Filemon Vela of Texas, Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, Jared Golden of Maine, Ed Case of Hawaii and Carolyn Bourdeaux of Georgia.
A senior Democratic aide downplayed the threat Friday and said the moderates represent a small fraction of the larger caucus that approves of Pelosi's original plan.
"This is 9. There are dozens upon dozens who will vote against the [bipartisan infrastructure bill] unless it's after the Senate passes reconciliation," the aide told ABC News.
The aide added that there are "not sufficient votes" to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill this month and noted Pelosi's comments to her caucus during a private call earlier this week, when she said her plan reflected a "consensus" of House Democrats.
"The president has said he's all for the bipartisan approach ... bravo! That's progress, but it ain't the whole vision," she said. "The votes in the House and Senate depend on us having both bills."
