Democrats have little room for differences when it comes to passing Joe Biden’s tax and spend “infrastructure” proposal.
With only two votes to spare in the House, President Biden is facing hurdles to move his plan forward.
In case you’re not keeping tabs, here’s a breakdown of members of Congress who have publicly and privately expressed opposition to elements of the proposal:
Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV)
Politico: “On Monday, Manchin told West Virginia radio host Hoppy Kercheval that Biden’s plan to pay for infrastructure by raising the corporate tax rate to 28 percent is a non-starter and that ‘this whole thing here has to change.’”
Politico: “‘The bill, basically, is not going to end up that way,’ Manchin said in his Monday radio interview. ‘If I don’t vote to get on it, it’s not going anywhere. So we’re going to have some leverage here. And it’s more than just me, Hoppy, there’s six or seven other Democrats that feel very strongly about this.’”
Senator Mark Warner (D-VA)
Politico: “A few hours later at the Capitol, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said Monday that he needs to have more input into the White House’s plan than he’s received so far: ‘I expect to have that input before there’s any package I could support.’”
Senator Chris Coons (D-DE)
Chris Coons is looking to approach infrastructure in a different way than President Biden’s plan, which has been roundly criticized. Coons prefers working on a bipartisan basis with his Republican colleagues.
Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ)
Axios: “‘We need to be careful not to do anything that’s too big or too much in the middle of a pandemic and an economic crisis,’ he said.
“While he wants to see the overall package before commenting on specific tax rates, he said, ‘It’s got to be responsible and both parties need to be at the table. This can’t just be jammed through without input and consideration from the other side.’”
Axios: “Gottheimer, who co-chairs the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, said he won’t even consider Biden’s tax proposals unless the president agrees to reinstate the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction capped under former President Trump worth tens of billions every year. ‘Simply put,’ Gottheimer said, ‘no SALT, no dice.’”
Representative Tom Suozzi (D-NY)
Axios: “Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) also told Axios: ‘I’m not voting for any changes in the tax code unless we reinstate SALT as part of the deal.’”
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)
Representative Scott Peters (D-CA)
Axios: “Rep. Scott Peters of California, is more comfortable with a smaller tax hike for companies than the 28% in Biden’s plans…’I think that 25% is fine,’ Peters said. ‘It doesn’t disadvantage our companies, and in turn our employees, workers…I think 25% is the right spot.’”
Representative Stephanie Murphy (D-FL)
Wall Street Journal: “‘We should show some level of discipline as it relates to what we put in a bill that we call an infrastructure bill,’ said Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D., Fla.)”
Representative Tom Malinowski (D-NJ)
Eight House Democrats Rule Out Supporting Infrastructure Bill Unless Taxes Cut for Wealthy Constituents
Forbes: “In a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Thursday, 8 House Democrats say they ‘could not vote’ for an infrastructure bill unless it repeals the SALT cap, which limits how much in state and local tax payments people can deduct from their federal taxes.”
Representatives Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Mickie Sherrill (D-NJ), Tom Malinkowski (D-NJ), Dean Phillips (D-MN), Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), Albio Sires (D-NJ), and Frank Pallone (D-NJ) all signed onto the letter.
Vast Majority of NY Delegation Rules Out Raising Taxes on Middle Class Until Wealthy New Yorkers Receive Tax Cut
The Center Square: “Nearly all of New York’s congressional Democrats have told House leaders on Tuesday they will not support any tax increase unless federal lawmakers restore deductions for state and local taxes.”
Representatives Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Mondaire Jones (D-NY), Antonio Delgado (D-NY), Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Grace Meng (D-NY), Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Yvette Clarke (D-NY),Paul Tonko (D-NY), Brian Higgins (D-NY), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Joseph Morelle (D-NY), Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY), and Ritchie Torres (D-NY) all signed onto the letter.