Dems eye big infrastructure package, with or without Trump
If Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and President Trump can’t strike an infrastructure deal, key Democrats say they should push their own partisan bill through the House ahead of the 2020 elections.
That strategy, backers argue, would demonstrate to voters that they’re making good on the campaign promises that won them the lower chamber last year — and remain focused on those bread-and-butter issues looking ahead.
It would also allow Democrats to shift the conversation away from the intense focus on the many investigations into Trump, including special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, which they fear could alienate voters in crucial swing districts.
“Why doesn't the House just pass a $2 trillion infrastructure bill with our pay-fors and then put the ball in the Senate and Trump's court?” asked Rep. Ro Khanna, a San Francisco Bay–area Democrat and a leading progressive in Congress.
I think we have to pass something that's really going to convince people the problem isn't politicians. The problem isn't broken Washington. The problem is this president and the Senate,” Khanna added. “If we don't do that, if it's just rhetorical, then I feel that [voters] are just going to increase the cynicism and most people will blame the entire Congress.”
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/443189-dems-eye-big-infrastructure-package-with-or-without-trump
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For years the reporting has talked about "nothing gets done" when the real problem has been "Repubs don't allow anything to happen."
People out in the country don't really pay attention, and it's easy to blame "Congress" when the fact is that one political party runs on destroying government and uses all the power they have to do that.
