Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she would vote against the bipartisan infrastructure bill over cuts in the social spending bill as Democratic leaders hope to vote on the public works legislation by the end of the week.
Progressive Democrats plan to oppose the infrastructure bill, which passed in the Senate in April unless a detailed agreement is reached in the larger social safety net package to address key issues like affordable housing and Medicare expansion. Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, said she couldn't vote for the bipartisan bill if the other whittled down legislation fails to address climate change.
AOC says she's a NO if infrastructure bill comes to a vote tomorrow. "I don't see how ethically I can vote to increase U.S. climate emissions."
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) October 27, 2021
And says a "framework" is not enough on larger bill; needs detailed bill text.
"We have had framework for six months. We need text." pic.twitter.com/adFsbGl7h4
"We've had frameworks for six months. And we've seen how much those frameworks have changed, been taken back, etc. We need text. You know, we need text," she told CNN's Manu Raju on Wednesday outside the U.S. Capitol. "I think we can talk a little bit, there's flexibility around process, but we need confirmed text."
Raju clarified the congresswoman's stance: "So if this comes to the floor tomorrow, infrastructure bill—you're a no?"
"I don't see how ethically I can vote to increase U.S. climate emissions," she affirmed.
Ocasio-Cortez previously pushed back as the reconciliation package was rewritten without a key climate provision over Senator Joe Machin's opposition to the cost of the bill. The West Virginia Democrat also said he didn't support a program that would quickly replace coal and gas power plants with green energy solutions.
We cannot advance legislation that makes the climate crisis worse.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 16, 2021
The Exxon-designed “bipartisan” infrastructure plan worsens emissions, but pairing it w/clean energy in Build Back Better neutralizes BIF’s harm and lets us tackle the climate crisis.
We cannot afford to gut it. https://t.co/jwlykDEG4s
"We cannot advance legislation that makes the climate crisis worse," the congresswoman tweeted on October 15.
Representative Rashida Tlaib, a progressive Democrat from Michigan, also criticized the cut and suggested there was more support for the climate change provision than Manchin's opposition to it.
The Congressional Progressive Caucus, made up of nearly 100 progressive members, tweeted that "we have a moral obligation and a governing mandate to pass policy that addresses climate change."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told CNN's State of the Union on Sunday that the Democrats are "pretty much there now" on hashing out the remaining details of the legislation.
Yet as the vote looms, aspects of President Joe Biden's social safety net and climate bill continue to be cut.
"We have 90 percent of the bill agreed to and written. We just have some of the last decisions to be made," Pelosi said.
Democratic leaders hoped to reach an agreement on the social spending bill with moderates to help persuade progressive party members to vote for the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
Ocasio-Cortez said she wants to see the full legislative text on the social spending bill before voting for the public works legislation.
Pelosi hopes to have the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, which forms part of the larger reconciliation package, to be signed by the end of the month. The October 31 deadline is the same day the 30-day reauthorization of federal highway programs expires.
Newsweek reached out to the Congressional Progressive Caucus for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
