Representative Cori Bush (D-MO) said Thursday on CNN’s “The Lead” that she felt “bamboozled” when Democratic House leadership declared they would hold a vote on the infrastructure bill when only the framework on the Build Back Better spending package has been agreed too.
The vote was canceled when the Progressive Caucus refused the deal.
Bush said, “We have been clear from the very beginning that both bills, the infrastructure bill as well as the Build Back Better Act have to go together. The bills have to come to the floor together. We need to vote together because our work has to touch the greatest amount of people as quickly as we can. There are immediate needs not captured just in the bipartisan infrastructure framework. This is us keeping our promise to all of people we represent.”
Anchor Jake Tapper said, “You also came out of the caucus meeting today saying you felt, quote, ‘bamboozled’ over the pending vote that had been announced on the infrastructure bill. Who bamboozled you? Speaker Pelosi? Is that a consensus among the caucus?”
Bush said, “Whose ever idea this was to vote. I mean, we heard from several voices just hearing that today that we would, they would bring to the floor the bipartisan infrastructure deal, package. I didn’t hear that yesterday or earlier this week, last week, you know, that this would come and this would be a stand-alone bill that had not been the conversation, and so to bring that up today, I just felt bamboozled. I didn’t have time to talk to my community.”
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