Biden hails infrastructure win as ‘monumental step forward’

[GMDino]

The squad voted against it but 13 republicans voted for it in the house.

This is part one.  Deficit neutral.

Oh, and it's actually Infrastructure Week.

https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-congress-263678efec1b19d3fd22aa660ecd4544

Quote:WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Saturday hailed Congress’ passage of his $1 trillion infrastructure package as a “monumental step forward for the nation” after fractious fellow Democrats resolved a months-long standoff in their ranks to finally seal the deal.


“Finally, infrastructure week,” a beaming Biden told reporters. “I’m so happy to say that: infrastructure week.”


The House passed the measure 228-206 late Friday, prompting prolonged cheers from the relieved Democratic side of the chamber. Thirteen Republicans, mostly moderates, supported the legislation while six of Democrats’ farthest left members — including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Cori Bush of Missouri — opposed it.

Approval of the bill, which promises to create legions of jobs and improve broadband, water supplies and other public works, sends it to the desk of a president whose approval ratings have dropped and whose nervous party got a cold shoulder from voters in this past week’s off-year elections.


Democratic candidates for governor were defeated in Virginia and squeaked through in New Jersey, two blue-leaning states. Those setbacks made party leaders — and moderates and liberals alike — impatient to produce impactful legislation and demonstrate they know how to govern. Democrats can ill afford to seem in disarray a year before midterm elections that could result in Republicans regaining congressional control.


The infrastructure package is a historic investment by any measure, one that Biden compares in its breadth to the building of the interstate highway system in the last century or the transcontinental railroad the century before.


“This is a blue collar blueprint to rebuilding America,” he said in his White House remarks.


His reference to infrastructure week was a jab at his predecessor, Donald Trump, whose White House declared several times that “infrastructure week” had arrived, only for nothing to happen.

Simply freeing up the infrastructure measure for final congressional approval was like a burst of adrenaline for Democrats. Yet despite the win, Democrats endured a setback when they postponed a vote on a second, even larger bill until later this month.
That 10-year, $1.85 trillion measure bolstering health, family and climate change programs was sidetracked after moderates demanded a cost estimate on the sprawling measure from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The postponement dashed hopes that the day would produce a double-barreled win for Biden with passage of both bills.


But in an evening breakthrough brokered by Biden and House leaders, five moderates later agreed to back that bill if the budget office’s estimates are consistent with preliminary numbers that White House and congressional tax analysts have provided. The agreement, in which lawmakers promised to vote on the social and environment bill by the week of Nov. 15, stood as a significant step toward a House vote that could ultimately ship it to the Senate.


“Generations from now, people will look back and know this is when America won the economic competition for the 21st Century,” Biden said in a written statement early Saturday.


The president and first lady Jill Biden delayed plans to travel Friday evening to their house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Instead, Biden spoke to House leaders, moderates and progressives, said a White House official who described the conversations on condition of anonymity.


Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said Biden even called her mother in India, though it was unclear why.


“This was not to bribe me, this is when it was all done,” Jayapal told reporters. The lawmaker said her mother told her she “just kept screaming like a little girl.”

In a two-sentence statement, the five moderates said that if the fiscal estimates on the social and environment bill raise problems, “we remain committed to working to resolve any discrepancies” to pass it. The five included Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., leader of a group of centrists who this summer repeatedly pressed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to schedule earlier votes on the infrastructure bill.


In exchange, liberals agreed to back the infrastructure measure, which they’d spent months holding hostage in an effort to press moderates to back the larger bill.


The day marked a rare detente between Democrats’ moderate and progressive wings that party leaders hope will continue this fall. The rival factions have spent recent weeks accusing each other of jeopardizing Biden’s and the party’s success by overplaying their hands and expressed a deep distrust of each other.


But Friday night, Jayapal suggested they would work together moving forward.


“Let me tell you, we’re going to trust each other because the Democratic Party is together on this,” she said. “We are united that it is important for us to get both bills done.”


The agreement came together after the White House issued a statement from Biden explicitly urging Democrats to support both bills. “I am confident that during the week of November 15, the House will pass the Build Back Better Act,” he said.


When party leaders announced early in the day that the social and environment measure would be delayed, the scrambled plans cast a fresh pall over the party.


Democrats have struggled for months to take advantage of their control of the White House and Congress by advancing their top priorities. That’s been hard, in part because of Democrats’ slender majorities, with bitter internal divisions forcing House leaders to miss several self-imposed deadlines for votes.


“Welcome to my world,” Pelosi told reporters, adding, “We are not a lockstep party.”


Liberals had long demanded that the two massive bills be voted on together to pressure moderates to support the larger, more expansive social measure.


Democrats’ day turned tumultuous early after a half-dozen moderates demanded the budget office’s cost estimate of the sprawling package of health, education, family and climate change initiatives before they would vote for it.


Party leaders said that would take days or more. But with Friday’s delayed vote and lawmakers leaving town for a week’s break, those budget estimates should be ready by the time a vote is held.


The infrastructure measure cleared the Senate in August with bipartisan support. The package would provide huge sums for highway, mass transit, broadband, airport, drinking and waste water, power grids and other projects.


As for the social and environment package, House passage would send it to the Senate, where it faces certain changes and more Democratic drama. That’s chiefly because of demands by Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona to contain the measure’s costs and curb or drop some of its initiatives.


Moderates have forced leaders to slash the roughly 2,100-page measure to about half its original $3.5 trillion size. Republicans oppose it as too expensive and damaging to the economy.


The package would provide large numbers of Americans with assistance to pay for health care, raising children and caring for elderly people at home. The package would provide $555 billion in tax breaks encouraging cleaner energy and electric vehicles. Democrats added provisions in recent days restoring a new paid family leave program and work permits for millions of immigrants.


Much of the package’s cost would be covered with higher taxes on wealthier Americans and large corporations.

Republican talking heads, of course, took it well because they think everyone forgets everything that ever happened more than five minutes ago.

Meanwhile when Republicans had control of both the house and senate, their FIRST piece of legislation was to give huge tax cuts to the rich. Nothing for the middle class or average American. They also gutted laws to protect workers.

— ?????? (@Turnert66) November 6, 2021

 

How come your dear leader couldn’t get the same infrastructure bill passed? He had four years. https://t.co/v5tVuSZXeo

— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) November 6, 2021

 

[NATI BENGALS]

Roads, bridges, ports, airports, water lines, electric grid improvements, public transit, internet access, investments to clean up and protect our environment. In what whacky world do Biden and the dems think they live where they can just shove this stuff down America's throat. Nobody wants this stuff.

God I miss the conman. Probably would have given rich people another tax break by now and all that stuff would have magically trickled down anyway. And imagine how much more tax payer money we could have funneled into his golf clubs and hotels by now. And the guy really deserves it, he couldn't run a business without bankrupting it, if there was anybody that deserved a blank check to funnel tax payer funds into his own business it was the conman who made a fortune bankrupting businesses, screwing workers, cheating on his taxes, and caring about nobody but himself.

[Goalpost]

The election did this. Instead of it being linked to another package, it became linked to the votes this week.

[BigPapaKain]

(11-06-2021, 05:08 PM)NATI BENGALS Wrote: Roads, bridges, ports, airports, water lines, electric grid improvements, public transit, internet access, investments to clean up and protect our environment. In what whacky world do Biden and the dems think they live where they can just shove this stuff down America's throat. Nobody wants this stuff.

God I miss the conman. Probably would have given rich people another tax break by now and all that stuff would have magically trickled down anyway. And imagine how much more tax payer money we could have funneled into his golf clubs and hotels by now. And the guy really deserves it, he couldn't run a business without bankrupting it, if there was anybody that deserved a blank check to funnel tax payer funds into his own business it was the conman who made a fortune bankrupting businesses, screwing workers, cheating on his taxes, and caring about nobody but himself.

In his defense, he also didn't pay lawyers. Which is one of the few things I liked about him. Lawyers are ***** ticks.

[NATI BENGALS]

Only 13 republicans voted for this. And they are being called traitors by the loudest most vocal republicans.

Let’s use some critical thinking here y’all. Do you like roads, bridges, clean water, electricity, and the internet? If you answered yes why do you support a party that wants to stop us from investing in these things just because the evil other side is on board too? As much as I can’t stand the life long career politicians. A lot of these younger new generation of law makers are 10x worse and bring extreme partisan sensationalism into our government and it’s really bad for us on both sides.

[*michaelsean*]

So do we get a new bridge here?

[*Nately120*]

(11-08-2021, 09:21 AM)michaelsean Wrote: So do we get a new bridge here?

I'd rather we give the HOF posters all the rep points so they can trickle down to everyone else.

And yes, im aware you probably meant Cincinnati and not this message board.  

[*michaelsean*]

(11-08-2021, 11:00 AM)Nately120 Wrote: I'd rather we give the HOF posters all the rep points so they can trickle down to everyone else.

And yes, im aware you probably meant Cincinnati and not this message board.  

I’ll give 10%. Well maybe 5. I’ll let you know.

[GMDino]

(11-08-2021, 09:21 AM)michaelsean Wrote: So do we get a new bridge here?

The specifics for how it be handed out and followed up I am unaware of.  

I just hope everyone who voted against it (R & D) turn down the funds for their states/districts.

I get the funniest feeling though that they'll promote all the money they brought in and then proudly exclaim how they voted against it.

[*michaelsean*]

(11-08-2021, 01:42 PM)GMDino Wrote: The specifics for how it be handed out and followed up I am unaware of.  

I just hope everyone who voted against it (R & D) turn down the funds for their states/districts.

I get the funniest feeling though that they'll promote all the money they brought in and then proudly exclaim how they voted against it.

Well they did just mostly shut it down for ten months to paint it.  A beautiful steel gray.  I thought they would go with like a bright highlighter yellow so it would be easier to see at the bottom of the river.

[GMDino]

(11-08-2021, 02:09 PM)michaelsean Wrote: Well they did just mostly shut it down for ten months to paint it.  A beautiful steel gray.  I thought they would go with like a bright highlighter yellow so it would be easier to see at the bottom of the river.

Reminds me of this story.

https://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/why-are-the-bridges-in-pittsburgh-painted-yellow/Content?oid=1335862

[CJD]

Biden: "This is a monumental win and a huge step forward for this country."

People: "What about the spending bill that's still held up in the Senate, Mr President?"

Biden: "Hey, Shut up! I convinced some Republicans to flip and vote for this so that you'd forget about the bill that Manchin and Sinema are holding hostage!"

Now that this infrastructure bill is passed, the Senate (specifically Manchin and Sinema) basically has no reason to even take the spending bill to a vote. "The Squad" were holding up the infrastructure bill in the house to pressure Biden, Manchin and Sinema into negotiating and agreeing on a path forard for the spending bill.

Instead, Biden just took some votes from the Republicans (in exchange for God knows what *shudder*) to go over the Progressives' head.

The Ratchet Effect keeping us from moving left really is the most accurate metaphor for the way our politics work...

[Sociopathicsteelerfan]

(11-08-2021, 02:45 PM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: Biden: "This is a monumental win and a huge step forward for this country."

People: "What about the spending bill that's still held up in the Senate, Mr President?"

Biden: "Hey, Shut up! I convinced some Republicans to flip and vote for this so that you'd forget about the bill that Manchin and Sinema are holding hostage!"

Now that this infrastructure bill is passed, the Senate (specifically Manchin and Sinema) basically has no reason to even take the spending bill to a vote. "The Squad" were holding up the infrastructure bill in the house to pressure Biden, Manchin and Sinema into negotiating and agreeing on a path forard for the spending bill.

Instead, Biden just took some votes from the Republicans (in exchange for God knows what *shudder*) to go over the Progressives' head.

The Ratchet Effect keeping us from moving left really is the most accurate metaphor for the way our politics work...

I think they realized that getting one bill passed was better than getting zero passed.  The far left wing of the party wasn't going to get what they wanted in the Senate and they needed something to hang their hat on after Tuesday's shellacking.

[CJD]

(11-08-2021, 02:59 PM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: I think they realized that getting one bill passed was better than getting zero passed.  The far left wing of the party wasn't going to get what they wanted in the Senate and they needed something to hang their hat on after Tuesday's shellacking.

Yea, I think Biden panicked after seeing those election results and just abandoned the idea of the spending bill, to be honest.

It's a shame. If he was just going to abandon it, he should have done that BEFORE the election, rather than after.

That was the definition of a sunk cost fallacy decision.

[GMDino]

(11-08-2021, 02:45 PM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: Biden: "This is a monumental win and a huge step forward for this country."

People: "What about the spending bill that's still held up in the Senate, Mr President?"

Biden: "Hey, Shut up! I convinced some Republicans to flip and vote for this so that you'd forget about the bill that Manchin and Sinema are holding hostage!"

Now that this infrastructure bill is passed, the Senate (specifically Manchin and Sinema) basically has no reason to even take the spending bill to a vote. "The Squad" were holding up the infrastructure bill in the house to pressure Biden, Manchin and Sinema into negotiating and agreeing on a path forard for the spending bill.

Instead, Biden just took some votes from the Republicans (in exchange for God knows what *shudder*) to go over the Progressives' head.

The Ratchet Effect keeping us from moving left really is the most accurate metaphor for the way our politics work...

It's so weird to see things get passed and done and the economy continue to recover from the pandemic/a republican President (again) and be told over and over he didn't do anything/enough.

So let me get this stright: in just 9 months Joe Biden has ended the forever AFG war, recovered the economy with 5.6M well paid jobs, gotten 80% of a divided country Vaxed, & passed the largest Infrastructure bill with rare bipartisanship, but some ppl still ask what he's done?!

— Biden's Accomplishments (@BidensWork) November 7, 2021

After four years of being promised something "in the next two weeks" we see government work to pass something and folks still complain.  I mean I get that people will always complain but he got it passed.  Then you go to the next thing.

Democrats win 30+ seats in GA....but they got "shellacked".

It's a funny way things get spun.

[CJD]

(11-08-2021, 03:47 PM)GMDino Wrote: It's so weird to see things get passed and done and the economy continue to recover from the pandemic/a republican President (again) and be told over and over he didn't do anything/enough.

So let me get this stright: in just 9 months Joe Biden has ended the forever AFG war, recovered the economy with 5.6M well paid jobs, gotten 80% of a divided country Vaxed, & passed the largest Infrastructure bill with rare bipartisanship, but some ppl still ask what he's done?!

— Biden's Accomplishments (@BidensWork) November 7, 2021

After four years of being promised something "in the next two weeks" we see government work to pass something and folks still complain.  I mean I get that people will always complain but he got it passed.  Then you go to the next thing.

Democrats win 30+ seats in GA....but they got "shellacked".

It's a funny way things get spun.

I hope you're right and this isn't a signal that he plans on abandoning the spending bill. If he gets it passed without it being gutted, it will be a truly major accomplishment.

[GMDino]

(11-08-2021, 03:49 PM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: I hope you're right and this isn't a signal that he plans on abandoning the spending bill. If he gets it passed without it being gutted, it will be a truly major accomplishment.

I just assume there will be some give and take to get it through if he can.

I just didn't get the idea that if he couldn't get everything he wanted he should have just stopped trying altogether.

[*michaelsean*]

(11-08-2021, 02:39 PM)GMDino Wrote: Reminds me of this story.

https://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/why-are-the-bridges-in-pittsburgh-painted-yellow/Content?oid=1335862

I didn’t know the city’s colors were actually black and yellow. I just thought two of the three teams just weren’t all that creative.

[Sociopathicsteelerfan]

(11-08-2021, 03:01 PM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: Yea, I think Biden panicked after seeing those election results and just abandoned the idea of the spending bill, to be honest.

It's a shame. If he was just going to abandon it, he should have done that BEFORE the election, rather than after.

That was the definition of a sunk cost fallacy decision.

I think that would have been just as bad, if not worse.  It could/would be viewed as abject surrender.

[Belsnickel]

(11-08-2021, 05:04 PM)michaelsean Wrote: I didn’t know the city’s colors were actually black and yellow. I just thought two of the three teams just weren’t all that creative.

Yup, it's actually a city thing.



That's the flag of Pittsburgh, which is derived from the coat of arms for William Pitt.