We had an absolutely wild infrastructure vote Friday night.
Here’s what happened:
For months, Congress has been negotiating two bills that together make up the President’s agenda: the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the Build Back Better Act. Together, they would make major investments in our country’s physical and human infrastructure — the former to our roads and bridges, and the latter to childcare, eldercare, climate action, paid family leave, lowering prescription drug prices, and much more.
The agreement from the start was that the bills would pass together. Progressives felt strongly that the President’s entire agenda needed to pass in order for Democrats to deliver on long-held promises, most notably acting on climate change. Working with movement leaders, we made clear months ago, ‘no climate, no deal.’ That means if conservative Democrats wouldn't step up to support the Build Back Better Act, they couldn't count on our vote for their infrastructure bill.
But on Friday, a vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill was scheduled without the Build Back Better Act. So in order to hold the line and stand our ground for the climate, Alexandria and the Squad voted ‘no’ on the bipartisan infrastructure bill, just as they said they would from day one.
The pressure around this vote was unreal. Lobbyists and corporations have been fighting with everything they have for months to decouple the Build Back Better Act from the infrastructure bill. Alexandria even got the CEO at Exxon to admit in a public hearing he’s been in direct conversations with legislators around the climate provisions in this bill. But Alexandria doesn’t take a dime from lobbyists or CEOs. She answers to you. That’s why she stood up for us, and that’s why we need your help now.
As you likely heard, the infrastructure bill still passed into law. House leadership got several Republicans to support the bill and countered the Squad’s ‘no’ votes. So, what now?
The President says he’s still committed to passing the Build Back Better Act. And it’s absolutely critical that he and everyone else who made that promise keeps their word.
The Build Back Better Act contains the majority of the president's agenda — including not just climate action but also paid leave, expanded Medicare, universal pre-k and lower costs for insulin and other prescription drugs. We must keep going and ensure these promises are delivered.
In solidarity,
Team AOC
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