Bernie to House Progressives: Don’t Back Down
It's do-or-die time for the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill. So Bernie Sanders is rightly insisting that House progressives reject the bipartisan infrastructure bill until it's linked to the reconciliation bill's passage.

Senator Bernie Sanders speaks to reporters in Washington, DC, 2021. (Drew Angerer / Getty Images)
House progressives gathered privately on Tuesday afternoon and recommitted to blocking any effort to split the bipartisan infrastructure bill away from the broader reconciliation package, which includes the bulk of President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better agenda.
The pledge comes after Speaker Nancy Pelosi threatened Monday to de-link the two, risking key elements of the Biden agenda. According to a public whip count, twenty-four House progressives have stated their commitment to vote against the infrastructure bill unless it is passed with the reconciliation bill. During the meeting, at least ten members of Congress not on the list also spoke in support of the strategy, pledging to vote no on Thursday if the bipartisan bill comes to the floor, two sources on the call said.
In response to questions from the American Prospect, the Intercept, and the Daily Poster, a handful of other Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) members, including Representatives Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) and Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) pronounced themselves on the fence leading up to the Thursday infrastructure vote.