Centrist Democrat Gottheimer dares far Left to ‘take shots’ at him
Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer took aim at the far-left wing of his party for blocking the immediate passage of a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, inviting liberals to take a run at him.
“We must not let a faction of the far left kill an historic infrastructure bill that will help create two million labor jobs a year, build the Gateway Tunnel, fix our crumbling roads and bridges, upgrade our broadband, get lead out of our children’s drinking water, and repair NJ Transit,” the New Jersey congressman said in a statement on Tuesday.
“I’m always going to fight for Jersey and commonsense ideas. If those on the wings want to take shots at me, have at it,” Gottheimer said. “What I care about is that, at the end of the day, Jersey families get what they need and deserve. That’s my job.”
Gottheimer, co-chairman of the bipartisan Problem Solver’s Caucus, is a leader of a centrist faction of Democrats urging the House to pass a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill as soon as possible. The legislation, one pillar of President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” agenda, passed the Senate in August.
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But members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus want Democratic leaders to pass first a sweeping budget reconciliation bill that includes trillions in social spending programs, pledging to vote against the infrastructure bill until the reconciliation bill receives a vote in the Senate.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi previously promised Gotthheimer and other House Democratic centrists a vote on the infrastructure bill last week, but she delayed it after it was clear it would not have the votes to pass.
Gottheimer reiterated he supports the reconciliation proposal, including provisions to implement universal pre-K, and said he hopes it reinstates the state and local tax deduction (or SALT) eliminated during the Trump administration.
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The New Jersey Democrat’s stand has made him a prime target for left-wing political groups, including Justice Democrats, the PAC that helped catapult New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to stardom through an upset primary in 2018.
An August fundraising email from Justice Democrats said Gottheimer was being “celebrated right now by the worst of the political establishment.”
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Tags: News, Congress, House Democrats, progressives, Democrats, Infrastructure, Joe Biden, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Original Author: Emily Brooks
Original Location: ‘Have at it’: Centrist Democrat Gottheimer dares far Left to ‘take shots’ at him
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