It’s another sign of the precarious weeks ahead, as Democrats rush to meet a self-imposed deadline to draft their comprehensive human infrastructure bill on Sept. 15.
After a series of partisan speeches in the House Means and Means Committee, Murphy convened on September 15, the day Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , said they wanted a bill on the democratic agenda to be drafted, an “artificial” term driven by politics and not by politics. ”He also said that while he supports many of the provisions he has seen so far, without any guidance on how the legislation will be paid, it cannot evaluate it or make decisions on how to vote.
“We need more time,” Murphy said. “I don’t think it’s asked too much to want to see this bill in its entirety before any of its parties vote.”
Murphy pledged to vote against all sections of the bill in committee if he did not get a full view of the bill, but said he hoped to resolve the differences before a final vote on the floor.
The issue in question on Thursday was that the House Roads and Media Committee did not disclose its full legislation, but published a fraction of the plan on many issues that are far less controversial as they begin their balance sheet. today. The committee, for example, has not yet issued a list of tax increases or ways to pay the bill, although it is preparing legislation to send it for consultation. These aspects of the bill, which are likely to include corporate tax rate increases as well as individual increases, are expected to meet with resistance from special interests and Republicans who will seize them. in the medium term.
Massachusetts Democrat Committee Chairman Richard Neal of the House has been very enthusiastic for months about how he plans to fund the bill, and previous infrastructure legislation he has used has always been released unpaid. payments. The reasoning is that publishing a long list of salaries is politically risky and opens the party to attacks on items that can eventually be withdrawn from the bill when it reaches the Senate. But, it is still difficult for moderate members like Murphy to make a decision on how to vote without seeing the full summary of what will eventually be part of the proposal.
Murphy said he would vote no to the committee on Form and Means Committee legislation if he cannot get a full picture.
Murphy’s warnings to the committee right now come after he sent a letter Friday with his fellow moderate colleague, Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas, to the Democratic leadership, proposing what it would take to vote for reconciliation. final invoice in general. If democratic leadership does not meet these needs, they have the potential to lose the votes of Murphy and Cuellar and have only three votes to lose.
Among the topics Murphy and Cuellar asked Pelosi, the leader of the majority of the house, Steny Hoyer, and the whip of the majority, Jim Clyburn, were:
- They want key spending and revenue provisions to be made “in advance” in the Senate to ensure they can pass both houses.
- They requested payment of the bill, except for their weather arrangements.
- Members were asked to have at least 72 hours to review the bill before it is put to a vote in the House floor.
Murphy later tweeted, “My constituents expect me to consider the bills in a comprehensive and transparent manner.”