Democrats with the Progressive Caucus are alerting lawmakers that they will block the so-called bipartisan infrastructure bill, which 19 Senate Republicans supported, unless amnesty for millions of illegal aliens is passed through Congress.
This week, 19 Senate Republicans joined Democrats to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in a 69-30 vote. The 19 Senate Republicans who supported the infrastructure bill include:
Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Richard Burr (R-NC), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Rob Portman (R-OH), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Jim Risch (R-ID), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), John Hoeven (R-ND), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Mitt Romney (R-UT)
Now, Progressive Caucus Democrats said they plan to oppose the bill so long as moderate Senate Democrats and Republicans oppose passing a $3.5 trillion budget resolution that includes amnesty for illegal aliens.
In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Reps. Pramila Japayal (D-WA), Katie Porter (D-CA), and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) said the majority of Progressive Caucus Democrats will not support the infrastructure bill until the budget resolution with amnesty is approved by Congress.
They write:
The Congressional Progressive Caucus has recently concluded an internal survey of its 96 members regarding the urgency of ensuring that a narrower bipartisan infrastructure agreement is enacted on the condition that a robust package of social, human, and climate infrastructure — reflecting all Democrats’ longstanding priorities — is simultaneously passed by simple majorities in Congress through the budget reconciliation process. [Emphasis added]
We specifically asked whether members would commit to withholding a yes vote on the bipartisan infrastructure deal — Senate Amendment 2137 to H.R. 3684 — until the Senate has passed budget reconciliation legislation deemed acceptable by the Congressional Progressive Caucus. A majority of our respondents affirmed that they would withhold their votes in support of the bipartisan legislation in the House of Representatives until the Senate adopted a robust reconciliation package. [Emphasis added]
We therefore encourage you to continue coordinating closely between the two chambers, collaborating with the White House, and engaging with our caucus so that the reconciliation framework reflects our shared and longstanding investment priorities, and that the Senate first adopts this reconciliation package before House consideration of any bipartisan infrastructure legislation. [Emphasis added]
As Breitbart News reported, Schumer and Pelosi have each suggested that they view the infrastructure bill as a stepping stone toward amnesty.
“The votes in the House and Senate depend on us having both bills,” Pelosi said.
Pelosi, though, is facing backlash from her caucus with swing district House Democrats asking her to untie the infrastructure bill from the Democrat budget with amnesty.
Swing state Democrats in the Senate, like Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), have warned against the budget resolution with amnesty. This week, Manchin said he has “serious concerns” with the plan, while Sinema voiced her opposition late last month.
The amnesty would cost American taxpayers around $107 billion, though the cost in depressed and lost wages for the nation’s working and middle class would likely boost that estimate significantly.
An amnesty to inflate the U.S. labor market with millions of newly legalized foreign workers would come as nearly 16 million Americans remain jobless, but all want full-time employment. Another 4.6 million Americans are underemployed but want a full-time job.
Already, current immigration levels put downward pressure on U.S. wages while redistributing about $500 billion in wealth away from America’s working and middle class, toward employers and new arrivals, research by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine has found.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has repeatedly found that amnesty for illegal aliens would be a net fiscal drain on American taxpayers while driving down U.S. wages.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
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