Senator Kyrsten Sinema has reportedly told her Democratic colleagues that she will not vote for a reconciliation package without passing the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
Sinema made the statement during a virtual meeting with moderate members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
The Arizona lawmaker is a key vote in the 50-50 divided Senate. Democrats can't afford to lose her support or that of fellow moderate Joe Manchin as they work to pass President Joe Biden's multi-trillion dollar "Build Back Better" agenda.
Both lawmakers have expressed concern over the price tag of the reconciliation bill, as well as several policies ranging from prescription drug pricing to climate change.
Meanwhile, progressive Democrats are threatening to tank the infrastructure vote if it is brought to the floor before an agreement is reached on the "Build Back Better" package.
Sinema and Manchin also told House Democrats they wouldn't abide by any deadlines set by leadership to force a vote on reconciliation, Reuters reported.
Newsweek reached out to Sinema's office for additional information but did not receive a response before publication.
The $1 trillion infrastructure bill, which Sinema helped broker, was passed by the Senate in August. The House originally set a September 27 deadline to vote on the bill, but the vote has been repeatedly pushed back.
Sinema called the delay "deeply disappointing" and "inexcusable."
"Over the course of this year, Democratic leaders have made conflicting promises that could not all be kept—and have, at times, pretended that differences of opinion within our own party did not exist, even when those disagreements were repeatedly made clear directly and publicly," she said in a statement.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday urged her caucus to start making decisions so that both bills can pass on time. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said the goal is to move the two pieces of legislation to Biden's desk by the end of October.
Sinema said the White House is aware of her priorities for the reconciliation bill, though Democrats have expressed frustration that her positions aren't publicly known.
The senator is currently in Europe to fundraise for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee while the chamber is out of session. But her communications director, John LaBombard, said negotiations are still happening.
"So far this week, Senator Sinema has held several calls—including with President Biden, the White House team, Senator Schumer's team, and other Senate and House colleagues—to continue discussions on the proposed budget reconciliation package," LaBombard told The New York Times. "Those conversations are ongoing."
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