华盛顿——众议院议长南希·佩洛西(Nancy Pelosi)本月提出了一项程序性投票，将为未来通过对乔·拜登总统的国内议程至关重要的两项经济措施奠定基础，民主党领导人希望此举将赢得不开心的党内温和派的必备选票。
加州民主党人佩洛西(Pelosi)周日在给民主党议员的一封信中建议，众议院将进行一次投票，为预算决议和单独的基础设施法案扫清最初的障碍。该预算蓝图将为国会随后考虑一项单独的3.5万亿美元的10年期法案打开大门健康教育和环境程序。
九名中间派民主党人周五表示，他们将反对预算决议，直到众议院首先批准他们的首要任务:1万亿美元的公路、铁路和其他基础设施项目。面对共和党的坚决反对，民主党人最多只能失去三名叛逃者，才能通过分裂严重的众议院通过立法。
周日晚些时候，温和派发表声明称，他们仍然希望在预算之前就基础设施法案的最终批准进行投票。他们没有说他们会反对佩洛西最初将两项措施一起推进的计划，这表明议长的举动已经赢得了一些时间，但战斗仍未解决。
他们写道:“作为民主党人，我们仍然致力于与我们的同事一起推进总统的议程。
参议院上周在两党的支持下批准了这项基础设施措施，温和派希望通过将它送交拜登签字来确保快速获胜。民主党人要求众议院从8月23日的夏季休会中恢复。
通过迫使众议院投票将这两项措施一起向前推进一步，民主党领导人希望向温和派施加压力，迫使他们与该党其他成员一道，朝着最终通过的方向推进其经济和社会议程。
巩固社会安全网、应对气候变化和创造就业是拜登和民主党的首要任务。一次失败，尤其是在这个早期阶段，将对该党的立法目标造成严重伤害，并在明年的选举前造成政治打击选举代表国会控制。
佩洛西写道:“这些法案将是我们任何人在公务生活中采取的最大、最重要的举措。
即便如此，她的政党还是分裂了。
进步民主党的首要目标是批准价值3.5万亿美元的刺激支出和减税计划卫生保健教育、社会安全网和气候变化项目。提高赋税富裕的个人和大公司会为其中的大部分提供资金。
通过预算决议至关重要，因为这将保护随后的3.5万亿美元法案免受共和党参议院阻挠或拖延的影响，否则将扼杀该法案。
众议院和参议院希望在9月中旬前准备好这项巨大措施的初步版本，并在此之后迅速批准最终方案，但这可能是乐观的。即使预算决议通过，温和派和进步派相互冲突的优先事项肯定会在后续法案的工作中重新出现，找到民主党人几乎一致的支持并不容易。
民主党温和派，包括许多来自摇摆地区的人，他们在明年的选举中面临着不确定的前景，认为该法案的价格太高，并担心共和党会用支持增税的竞选指控来打击他们。
因此，进步人士担心，如果众议院首先批准基础设施立法，温和派将反对3.5万亿美元的法案。为了保持对温和派的影响力，佩洛西一再表示，在参议院通过并向众议院提交3.5万亿美元的法案之前，众议院不会对基础设施法案进行投票。
周日，当被问及佩洛西是否会放弃在社会和环境法案准备就绪之前保留基础设施的策略时，发言人德鲁·汉密尔说，“她的立场没有改变。”
佩洛西写道，当众议院本月返回时，它还将对解决联邦对许多州选举法监督的修订立法进行投票，这是民主党的另一个优先事项。这一措施似乎有可能在众议院获得通过，但在参议院的50比50中陷入僵局。
佩洛西赞扬了参议院的基础设施措施，但暗示众议院可能不会对此进行盖章。
她说，立法没有“包括拜登总统和国会民主党人的全部愿景”。”她说，众议院议员“正在审查该法案。"
Pelosi takes step to quell moderates' budget rebellion
WASHINGTON -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has proposed a procedural vote this month that would set up future passage of two economic measures crucial to President Joe Biden's domestic agenda, a move Democratic leaders hope will win must-have votes from unhappy party moderates.
In a letter Sunday to Democratic lawmakers, Pelosi, D-Calif., suggested that the House will take a single vote that would clear an initial hurdle for both a budget resolution and a separate infrastructure bill. The budget blueprint would open the gate for Congress to later consider a separate, $3.5 trillion, 10-year bill forhealth, education andenvironmentprograms.
Nine centrist Democrats said Friday they would oppose the budget resolution until the House first approves their top priority: a $1 trillion package of road, railway and other infrastructure projects. In the face of solid Republican opposition, Democrats can lose no more than three defectors to pass legislation through the closely split chamber.
Late Sunday, the moderates issued a statement saying they still wanted a vote on final approval of the infrastructure bill to come ahead of the budget. They stopped short of saying they'd oppose Pelosi's plan to initially move both measures forward together, suggesting the speaker's move had bought some time yet left the battle unresolved.
“As Democrats, we remain committed to working with our colleagues to advance the President’s agenda,” they wrote.
The Senate approved the infrastructure measure last week with bipartisan support, and the moderates want to bank a quick win by sending it to Biden for his signature. Democrats are calling the House back from summer recess on Aug. 23.
By forcing the House to vote on moving both measures a step forward together, Democratic leaders hope to build pressure on moderates to join the rest of the party in edging its economic and social agenda toward eventual final passage.
Bolstering the social safety net, combating climate change and creating jobs rank atop Biden's and Democrats' priorities. A defeat, especially at this early stage, would be deeply wounding to the party's legislative goals and a political blow ahead of next year'selections for congressional control.
"These bills will be the biggest and most consequential initiatives that any of us have ever undertaken in our official lives,” Pelosi wrote.
Even so, her party is divided.
Progressive Democrats' No. 1 goal is approval of $3.5 trillion worth of spending boosts and tax cuts forhealth care, education, social safety net and climate change programs. Raisingtaxeson wealthy individuals and large corporations would finance much of it.
Passing the budget resolution is pivotal because that would shield the subsequent $3.5 trillion bill from Republican Senate filibusters, or delays, that would kill it.
The House and Senate hope to have initial versions of that huge measure ready by mid-September and to approve a final package quickly after that, but that may be optimistic. Even once the budget resolution passes, moderates' and progressives' clashing priorities will assuredly resurface during work on that follow-up bill, and finding the near-unanimous support Democrats will need won't be easy.
Democratic moderates, including many from swing districts who face dicey prospects in next year's elections, think that bill's price tag is too high and worry that the GOP will pound them with campaign accusations of backing tax increases.
Because of that, progressives fear that moderates would oppose the $3.5 trillion bill if the House first approved the infrastructure legislation. To retain leverage on the moderates, Pelosi has repeatedly said the House won't vote on the infrastructure bill until the Senate passes and sends the House the $3.5 trillion measure.
Asked Sunday if Pelosi might drop her strategy of holding back on infrastructure until the social and environment bill is ready, spokesman Drew Hammill said, “There's no change in her position."
When the House returns this month, it will also vote on revised legislation addressing federal oversight of many states' election laws, Pelosi wrote, another Democratic priority. That measure seems likely to pass the House but get bogged down in the 50-50 Senate.
Pelosi praised the Senate's infrastructure measure, but suggested the House might not rubber-stamp it.
She said that legislation is not “inclusive of the totality of President Biden and Congressional Democrats’ vision." She said House lawmakers “are reviewing the bill."
