Last week, the House of Representatives postponed a scheduled vote on the $1.2 trillion bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which passed the Senate in August. The vote was scuttled by progressive Democrats in the House who said they will not vote for the bipartisan infrastructure bill until Congress also advances President Biden’s $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation plan for social safety net programs, called the Build Back Better Act.
The progressive and moderate wings of the Democratic Party in Congress continue to be at odds over how to proceed on both pieces of legislation. While progressives are demanding that passage of the two bills be linked together, moderates are advocating for immediate passage of the infrastructure bill, separate from any vote on the reconciliation bill. Progressive Democrats are worried that they will lose leverage over moderate Democrats should the infrastructure bill pass Congress before the reconciliation bill.
Democratic Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Krysten Sinema (D-AZ) continue to express their concerns regarding their party’s attempts to push through the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation plan. Senator Manchin has indicated he will oppose any reconciliation bill that goes above $1.5 trillion while Senator Sinema has voiced similar doubts about the price tag and proposed tax increases. Any budget reconciliation bill will need the approval of both senators before advancing out of Congress.
Yesterday, Democratic leadership announced a new deadline of Oct. 31 for Congress to agree on a path forward for both pieces of legislation. Given the deep divide between the progressive and moderate factions of the Democratic Party over the substance and process, it remains to be seen whether they will be able to advance either bill by the end of the month.
NLBMDA continues to be deeply engaged in Capitol Hill advocacy on behalf of the LBM industry with respect to both the infrastructure and budget reconciliation bills. NLBMDA is particularly concerned about tax increases and other problematic provisions in the Democratic budget reconciliation bill. NLBMDA has been meeting with the key players in the budget reconciliation negotiations, including the decisive Democratic swing votes in the Senate, to express our opposition to any tax increases on LBM dealers and highlight other industry priorities.
Below you will find a brief summary of where things stand on infrastructure and budget reconciliation in Congress. You will also find links to grassroots alerts which allow members to contact their House and Senate legislators in support of the LBM industry.
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act:
- Bipartisan infrastructure bill;
- Passed the Senate in August by a vote of 69-30;
- Has not received a vote in the House;
- $1.2 trillion for physical infrastructure investments, $550 billion of that is new spending;
- Reforms federal permitting rules and funds workforce development initiatives;
- No new tax increases on individuals or businesses.
Build Back Better Act:
- Budget reconciliation plan being advanced by Democrats and opposed by Republicans;
- $3.5 trillion for social safety net programs related to climate change, education, housing, health care, child care and labor;
- Contains $2 trillion in new tax increases;
- House Democrats recently approved legislative text out of their committees. The bill has not received a vote on the House floor.
- Senate Democrats have not advanced or released any legislative text on budget reconciliation to date.
NLBMDA Grassroots Alerts:
