By Dan Murphy
In an exclusive interview with Yonkers Rising-YonkersTimes.com, Westchester congressman Jamaal Bowman defended and explained his no vote on the $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure bill which narrowly passed the House and will now be signed by President Joe Biden.
“I supported both the Hard infrastructure bill and the Human Infrastructure bill,” Rep. Bowman said about the first infrastructure bill that he and five other progressive democrats voted no on. “But we had been negotiating for five months and agreed to move both bills together. The President and the Speaker were both on board with this strategy.”
The second bill that Bowman and progressive members of congress including Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, and Senator Bernie Sanders support is known as the human infrastructure bill. That bill would spend $1.75 Trillion on universal pre-k, free community college education, public housing, subsidizing prescription drugs, and more.
But Bowman explained that at the last minute, on Friday November 5, six moderate Democratic house members refused to go along with the deal and vote on both bills together. The result was the first Hard Infrastructure bill, which did have bi-partisan support in the House and the Senate, passed narrowly, while the Human infrastructure bill sits awaiting a vote in the House, with an unclear future in the Senate.
“It wasn’t the right thing to do, to pivot at the last minute away from what we had all agreed on. Both bills were ready for a vote on Friday. I couldn’t support that and that is why I voted no,” said Bowman, who realizes the benefits of the Hard Infrastructure bill, and that “I would never hurt my district,” but he explained that he voted no both as a protest to the last-minute change and to support the importance of passing the Human Infrastructure bill. The Hard Infrastructure bill did pass, 226-208, with the help of 13 republican house members.
“The Human Infrastructure bill focuses on woman and people of color. 90% of the jobs in the first infrastructure bill go to white men. This time around we can’t leave the most vulnerable behind. We could have waited another day or week, to vote on both bills together, but my moderate democratic colleagues reneged on the deal.”
Bowman added, “There are lobbying efforts fighting to stop the Human Infrastructure bill from passing. The pharmaceutical lobbyist doesn’t want it because we are trying to lower prescription costs and to expand Obamacare to cover 5 million more Americans. The fossil fuel lobbyists don’t want it because we want to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable.
“We know that these same lobbyists wanted the hard infrastructure, but we wanted to tie both together to make sure that this time around we don’t leave women, seniors, children, immigrants and climate behind.”
Bowman underscored an important point for those concerned about our national debt and deficit spending. “The Human bill is paid for, while the Hard infrastructure bill borrows more to pay for it. Why isn’t anyone talking about that, and why was the Human bill delayed when it was paid for? That bill has the wealthy and corporations in this country pay their fair share so that we don’t leave the most vulnerable people behind.” And both the Hard and Human Infrastructure bills are total costs spread out over 10 years.
Bowman says that now, “the pressure is on the moderate democratic house members” to pass the Human Infrastructure bill. We also need to pass Voting Rights and Common- Sense Gun Reform. I’m tired of people being killed in the district, and the poverty of people of color. I will always push for investment in vulnerable people. So, I won’t compromise for the 18-year-old that has no investment in their future and the single mom who has no lobbyist.”
If Bowman and Democratic Progressive House members are successful, and pass the Human Infrastructure bill, it moves onto the Senate, where passage is still uncertain. The senate has a 50-50 tie between Democrats and Republicans, with Vice-President Kamala Harris the tie breaking vote.
But if one senate democrat votes no, nothing passes. And right now, that one democrat is Senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia. “Our leadership in the house has been negotiating with Manchin every step of the way, and then last week he comes out and says he can’t support the human infrastructure bill. So, it’s confusing,” said Bowman, who can only control what the House passes, and then he plans to work on the Senate in the arena of public opinion.
“Progressive democrats see the world differently from our moderate colleagues. When you invest in people you will reap the results on the back end. With universal childcare and pre-k, with workforce development with lower prescription costs, when you invest in these things, it empowers people to do great things, and become inspired and start their own business. That is what we need to do now more than ever.”
Bowman said “there is widespread support from democrats in my district to pass both bills. I also represent the Bronx and Yonkers, where the passage of the Human Infrastructure will be a game changer.
“The Human Infrastructure bill will stop our system from maintaining inequality, and right the wrongs of history in an equitable way. In the end it will be a stronger economy for everyone. We are constantly asking poor people to compromise, and in the end, its people like Trump who rise and who win. And he may win again, because of his wealth and a system that benefits him.”
Bowman blamed the media for the narrative that came out that he and AOC and the progressive democratic members of “The Squad” are to blame for everything. “The country jumped out of a window to blame progressives for the recent election and for me and the squad voting no on the bill, without the media talking to us. But that’s what sells papers and gets clicks.”
“The Democratic party is the big tent party. I have broad support in my district, across wealth, white people, black people, Jews and Christians. And I reach out to them and listen because I represent everyone.”
