Centrist Democrats want to pass the $550 billion bill, but progressives want to delay a vote to gain leverage for a larger safety net package.
By Sahil Kapur, Dareh Gregorian, Garrett Haake and Frank Thorp V @ NBCNews.com, Sept. 30
WASHINGTON — House Democrats delayed a planned vote on Thursday on a major infrastructure package, heading home for the night after intra-party fighting hamstrung their ability to pass the legislation.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., announced after a series of late-night negotiations that the vote was postponed indefinitely as Democrats battle over the way forward on President Joe Biden's agenda.
The party's centrist wing wanted to see the infrastructure bill passed quickly, painting the $550 billion package as a bipartisan win. But the left wing of the party is resisting, arguing the House should delay passing the infrastructure bill to gain leverage over the Senate and force them to pass a larger $3.5 trillion social safety net package.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spent hours trying to broker a deal, with lawmakers shuffling in and out of her office, but eventually gave up in the 10 p.m. hour [....]