Judy Woodruff:
I thought of that exact same word. I’m worried everyone is just sort of lost in the lights here.
That’s the right question, Judy, yes. The majority leader, Steny Hoyer, for the Democrats in the House, I asked him that question: Is infrastructure coming up for a vote?
He told me a short time ago 100 percent. Listen to that, 100 percent, they will vote on the infrastructure bill tonight. Let’s take a look at the House floor right now. Here’s the thing. They’re still stuck in the middle of a past vote. This is a procedural vote. It’s not substantive. But the fact that they have been stuck on this vote for such a long time tells you that they are still working out the mechanics of what’s ahead.
Judy, I think it will be a late night. But we do expect both of these votes, sort of a procedural vote on the Build Back Better bill, but the major vote on the infrastructure bill, we expect tonight. And here’s the thing that people should know.
Pelosi is doing something I have never seen her do before. It seems she is rolling the dice here. It is not clear to those of us outside her office that she has the votes to pass that infrastructure bill tonight, because so many Democrats, including Pramila Jayapal, other progressives, have said they don’t want to vote for it if these bills are separated tonight.
So Pelosi will need Republican help tonight. Not clear she can get it. Even if those Republicans and private support the infrastructure bill, it’s bipartisan, this is a political matter tonight, and it’s not clear Pelosi is going to succeed or not.
