Six progressive Democrats and 13 Republicans bucked party lines on Friday in a vote on a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal, which passed the House 228-206.
Progressives are declaring victory ahead of a possible vote Thursday on President Biden’s social spending and climate package, while saying they shouldn’t be blamed for their party losing the governor’s race in Virginia.
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Despite his reputation as a deal-cutting centrist, Biden’s proposals so far have been decidedly progressive; some Democrats and pundits are calling Biden’s agenda a “New New Deal,” inviting comparisons to former President Franklin Roosevelt. The American Rescue Plan that Biden signed into law injected nearly $2 trillion into the economy to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic and for emergency aid. Now his American Jobs Plan calls for a mammoth $2.25 trillion investment in things like transportation infrastructure, technology and the care economy, which includes child care and elder care.
While they may want to make tweaks around the edges, progressives don’t want to slow that massive government spending from getting out the door to their constituents and communities.