Deadlines Converge, Lawmakers Facing Impasse

Originally having set a September 27 deadline for passage of the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA), Democrat leaders in the House of Representatives are facing opposition on multiple fronts, putting their legislative priorities at risk. Outside of the lockstep resistance coming from the other side of the aisle, factions within the Democrat party are clashing over critical votes on the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA), and the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill. Progressive Democrats have signaled they will not vote to pass the infrastructure bill that was negotiated over the summer before passage of a satisfactory budget reconciliation bill.

On September 21, the House passed a stopgap measure suspending the federal debt limit until December 16 and extending current funding levels for the federal government to December 3, avoiding a potential “government shutdown.” (See the bill here: HR 5304) However, Republican leaders have made clear that the House bill would receive no support from their members in the Senate, as a show of broad opposition to the President’s overall agenda. This will make for a jam-packed end of the month as lawmakers grapple with the approaching debt ceiling and the need for a spending measure to keep the federal government open, all while negotiating the budget reconciliation bill.  

The Federal Liaison Center will continue to monitor this activity in Congress.