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Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) walk to the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) at the U.S. Capitol on August 23, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Frustration with a small group of conservative House Democrats boiled over Monday as the party failed to reach an agreement to pass a $3.5 trillion budget resolution, a step that would pave the way for major investments in climate action, Medicare expansion, and other key priorities.
Led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), several right-wing Democrats are threatening to tank the budget resolution unless the House first passes a $550 billion bipartisan infrastructure package. Progressive lawmakers and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have rejected the group's proposed approach, fearing that conservative Democrats would be free to vote against the budget measure if it's decoupled from the bipartisan bill.
"The reason we won't back down? These necessary investments are what the people overwhelmingly want."
--Rep. Pramila Jayapal
On Monday, Pelosi--who can afford just three Democratic defections from the budget resolution--met with Gottheimer in an effort to assuage the concerns of his ad hoc coalition, which the business lobby is actively supporting. Pelosi reportedly offered to commit to passing the bipartisan bill by October 1 in exchange for the conservative group's support for the budget process, but Gottheimer did not accept.
After hours of closed-door discussions, Pelosi and Gottheimer's group ultimately failed to reach a deal, forcing Democrats to break for a brief recess early Tuesday morning without a vote on the budget resolution. The House is set to return later Tuesday to continue negotiations and potentially set up a vote on the measure, which is a central component of the Democratic Party's social spending and climate agenda.
Given the importance of the budget resolution to Democratic members and the Biden White House, lawmakers vented their frustrations with Gottheimer and his allies during an internal caucus meeting on Tuesday.
"You all have to vote for the goddamn rule," Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) reportedly said during the meeting, referring to the procedural measure containing the budget resolution. "Why wouldn't we begin this process? Whether we pass it today or on October 1, none of the money can be spent until October 1."
According to Politico, one Democratic lawmaker was heard calling members of Gottheimer's group "f--king assholes."
In her remarks during the meeting, Pelosi warned that "we cannot squander this majority and this Democratic White House by not passing what we need to do."
"Right now," she added, "we have an opportunity to pass something so substantial for our country, so transformative we haven't seen anything like it."
It's unclear how many holdouts the Democratic leadership is attempting to win over. The American Prospectreported Sunday that "several" of the nine conservative Democrats who originally threatened to tank the budget resolution had flipped.
But hours later, the nine Democrats penned a Washington Postop-ed sticking by their view that the House should pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill before moving to the $3.5 trillion budget resolution. The conservative Democrats also expressed "concerns about the level of spending and potential revenue raisers" in the budget resolution, which proposes large increases in safety-net spending paid for with higher taxes on the wealthy and large corporations.
Last week, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce--the biggest-spending corporate lobbying organization in the country--started running Facebook ads in support of Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine), Ed Case (D-Hawaii), Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), and other members of the conservative group. The Daily Poster reported Monday that the nine right-wing House Democrats have "raked in more than $3 million from donors in the pharmaceutical and fossil fuel industries that could see reduced profits" if the reconciliation plan passes.
In response to the Chamber's ad campaign, Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.)--chair emeritus of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC)--quipped that it "can't be long 'til Trump tweets out his support" for the conservative Democrats.
\u201cCan\u2019t be long til Trump tweets out his support.\u201d— Mark Pocan (@Mark Pocan) 1629777551
With conservative Democrats threatening to torpedo the budget resolution, progressive House lawmakers on Monday reiterated their promise to withhold their votes for the bipartisan infrastructure package until the Senate also passes a reconciliation package, a step that's expected some time next month--assuming the House is able to approve the budget resolution this week.
"This is the path forward: we're passing the bipartisan infrastructure bill alongside the jobs and families package," Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the CPC, said Monday. "The reason we won't back down? These necessary investments are what the people overwhelmingly want."
Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.), a CPC member, echoed that message, tweeting that "the American people elected Democrats to deliver bold, transformative policies that meet the moment."
"That means President Biden's Build Back Better bill, which addresses our climate crisis, expands Medicare, and makes child care affordable," Jones wrote. "Anything less will not suffice."
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Frustration with a small group of conservative House Democrats boiled over Monday as the party failed to reach an agreement to pass a $3.5 trillion budget resolution, a step that would pave the way for major investments in climate action, Medicare expansion, and other key priorities.
Led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), several right-wing Democrats are threatening to tank the budget resolution unless the House first passes a $550 billion bipartisan infrastructure package. Progressive lawmakers and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have rejected the group's proposed approach, fearing that conservative Democrats would be free to vote against the budget measure if it's decoupled from the bipartisan bill.
"The reason we won't back down? These necessary investments are what the people overwhelmingly want."
--Rep. Pramila Jayapal
On Monday, Pelosi--who can afford just three Democratic defections from the budget resolution--met with Gottheimer in an effort to assuage the concerns of his ad hoc coalition, which the business lobby is actively supporting. Pelosi reportedly offered to commit to passing the bipartisan bill by October 1 in exchange for the conservative group's support for the budget process, but Gottheimer did not accept.
After hours of closed-door discussions, Pelosi and Gottheimer's group ultimately failed to reach a deal, forcing Democrats to break for a brief recess early Tuesday morning without a vote on the budget resolution. The House is set to return later Tuesday to continue negotiations and potentially set up a vote on the measure, which is a central component of the Democratic Party's social spending and climate agenda.
Given the importance of the budget resolution to Democratic members and the Biden White House, lawmakers vented their frustrations with Gottheimer and his allies during an internal caucus meeting on Tuesday.
"You all have to vote for the goddamn rule," Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) reportedly said during the meeting, referring to the procedural measure containing the budget resolution. "Why wouldn't we begin this process? Whether we pass it today or on October 1, none of the money can be spent until October 1."
According to Politico, one Democratic lawmaker was heard calling members of Gottheimer's group "f--king assholes."
In her remarks during the meeting, Pelosi warned that "we cannot squander this majority and this Democratic White House by not passing what we need to do."
"Right now," she added, "we have an opportunity to pass something so substantial for our country, so transformative we haven't seen anything like it."
It's unclear how many holdouts the Democratic leadership is attempting to win over. The American Prospectreported Sunday that "several" of the nine conservative Democrats who originally threatened to tank the budget resolution had flipped.
But hours later, the nine Democrats penned a Washington Postop-ed sticking by their view that the House should pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill before moving to the $3.5 trillion budget resolution. The conservative Democrats also expressed "concerns about the level of spending and potential revenue raisers" in the budget resolution, which proposes large increases in safety-net spending paid for with higher taxes on the wealthy and large corporations.
Last week, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce--the biggest-spending corporate lobbying organization in the country--started running Facebook ads in support of Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine), Ed Case (D-Hawaii), Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), and other members of the conservative group. The Daily Poster reported Monday that the nine right-wing House Democrats have "raked in more than $3 million from donors in the pharmaceutical and fossil fuel industries that could see reduced profits" if the reconciliation plan passes.
In response to the Chamber's ad campaign, Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.)--chair emeritus of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC)--quipped that it "can't be long 'til Trump tweets out his support" for the conservative Democrats.
\u201cCan\u2019t be long til Trump tweets out his support.\u201d— Mark Pocan (@Mark Pocan) 1629777551
With conservative Democrats threatening to torpedo the budget resolution, progressive House lawmakers on Monday reiterated their promise to withhold their votes for the bipartisan infrastructure package until the Senate also passes a reconciliation package, a step that's expected some time next month--assuming the House is able to approve the budget resolution this week.
"This is the path forward: we're passing the bipartisan infrastructure bill alongside the jobs and families package," Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the CPC, said Monday. "The reason we won't back down? These necessary investments are what the people overwhelmingly want."
Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.), a CPC member, echoed that message, tweeting that "the American people elected Democrats to deliver bold, transformative policies that meet the moment."
"That means President Biden's Build Back Better bill, which addresses our climate crisis, expands Medicare, and makes child care affordable," Jones wrote. "Anything less will not suffice."
Frustration with a small group of conservative House Democrats boiled over Monday as the party failed to reach an agreement to pass a $3.5 trillion budget resolution, a step that would pave the way for major investments in climate action, Medicare expansion, and other key priorities.
Led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), several right-wing Democrats are threatening to tank the budget resolution unless the House first passes a $550 billion bipartisan infrastructure package. Progressive lawmakers and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have rejected the group's proposed approach, fearing that conservative Democrats would be free to vote against the budget measure if it's decoupled from the bipartisan bill.
"The reason we won't back down? These necessary investments are what the people overwhelmingly want."
--Rep. Pramila Jayapal
On Monday, Pelosi--who can afford just three Democratic defections from the budget resolution--met with Gottheimer in an effort to assuage the concerns of his ad hoc coalition, which the business lobby is actively supporting. Pelosi reportedly offered to commit to passing the bipartisan bill by October 1 in exchange for the conservative group's support for the budget process, but Gottheimer did not accept.
After hours of closed-door discussions, Pelosi and Gottheimer's group ultimately failed to reach a deal, forcing Democrats to break for a brief recess early Tuesday morning without a vote on the budget resolution. The House is set to return later Tuesday to continue negotiations and potentially set up a vote on the measure, which is a central component of the Democratic Party's social spending and climate agenda.
Given the importance of the budget resolution to Democratic members and the Biden White House, lawmakers vented their frustrations with Gottheimer and his allies during an internal caucus meeting on Tuesday.
"You all have to vote for the goddamn rule," Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) reportedly said during the meeting, referring to the procedural measure containing the budget resolution. "Why wouldn't we begin this process? Whether we pass it today or on October 1, none of the money can be spent until October 1."
According to Politico, one Democratic lawmaker was heard calling members of Gottheimer's group "f--king assholes."
In her remarks during the meeting, Pelosi warned that "we cannot squander this majority and this Democratic White House by not passing what we need to do."
"Right now," she added, "we have an opportunity to pass something so substantial for our country, so transformative we haven't seen anything like it."
It's unclear how many holdouts the Democratic leadership is attempting to win over. The American Prospectreported Sunday that "several" of the nine conservative Democrats who originally threatened to tank the budget resolution had flipped.
But hours later, the nine Democrats penned a Washington Postop-ed sticking by their view that the House should pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill before moving to the $3.5 trillion budget resolution. The conservative Democrats also expressed "concerns about the level of spending and potential revenue raisers" in the budget resolution, which proposes large increases in safety-net spending paid for with higher taxes on the wealthy and large corporations.
Last week, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce--the biggest-spending corporate lobbying organization in the country--started running Facebook ads in support of Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine), Ed Case (D-Hawaii), Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), and other members of the conservative group. The Daily Poster reported Monday that the nine right-wing House Democrats have "raked in more than $3 million from donors in the pharmaceutical and fossil fuel industries that could see reduced profits" if the reconciliation plan passes.
In response to the Chamber's ad campaign, Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.)--chair emeritus of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC)--quipped that it "can't be long 'til Trump tweets out his support" for the conservative Democrats.
\u201cCan\u2019t be long til Trump tweets out his support.\u201d— Mark Pocan (@Mark Pocan) 1629777551
With conservative Democrats threatening to torpedo the budget resolution, progressive House lawmakers on Monday reiterated their promise to withhold their votes for the bipartisan infrastructure package until the Senate also passes a reconciliation package, a step that's expected some time next month--assuming the House is able to approve the budget resolution this week.
"This is the path forward: we're passing the bipartisan infrastructure bill alongside the jobs and families package," Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the CPC, said Monday. "The reason we won't back down? These necessary investments are what the people overwhelmingly want."
Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.), a CPC member, echoed that message, tweeting that "the American people elected Democrats to deliver bold, transformative policies that meet the moment."
"That means President Biden's Build Back Better bill, which addresses our climate crisis, expands Medicare, and makes child care affordable," Jones wrote. "Anything less will not suffice."
"The president single-handedly wiped out Americans' retirement savings overnight and subjected businesses to intense whiplash with his increasingly erratic and chaotic policies that continue to drive consumer and business uncertainty."
Alarm over U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs continues to grow, with stocks plummeting and JPMorgan warning that "the risk of recession in the global economy this year is raised to 60%, up from 40%."
After China announced new 34% tariffs on all American goods beginning next week, The Associated Press reported Friday that "the S&P 500 was down 4.8% in afternoon trading, after earlier dropping more than 5%, following its worst day since Covid wrecked the global economy in 2020. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 1,719 points, or 4.3%, as of 1:08 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 4.9% lower."
Noting the state of Wall Street this week, Groundwork Collaborative executive director Lindsay Owens declared in a Friday statement that "Trump has officially brought the economy to its knees."
"The president single-handedly wiped out Americans' retirement savings overnight and subjected businesses to intense whiplash with his increasingly erratic and chaotic policies that continue to drive consumer and business uncertainty," she said. "To call this an economic downturn is an understatement; Trump is marching us straight into a depression."
Political and economic observers have been publicly wondering for weeks if Trump is intentionally crashing the economy. Further fueling those fears, he ramped up his trade war on Wednesday by announcing a minimum 10% tariff for imports, with higher levies for dozens of countries. Although he claimed those steeper duties are "reciprocal," his math "horrified" economists and has been called "crazy."
Responding in a Thursday note titled, There Will Be Blood, head of global economic research Bruce Kasman and other experts at JPMorgan wrote that "if sustained, this year's ~22%-point tariff increase would be the largest U.S. tax hike since 1968."
"The effect of this tax hike is likely to be magnified—through retaliation, a slide in U.S. business sentiment, and supply chain disruptions," states the note, which came before China's announcement.
As Bloomberg reported:
Several Wall Street firms on Thursday warned of a U.S. recession, with some making it their base case, after... Trump announced major levies on goods imported from countries around the world. Other economists, including those at JPMorgan, said the hit could be big, though they are taking a wait-and-see approach before revising their projections.
The announcement rocked global financial markets, and the S&P 500 suffered its worst day since 2020. Trump, speaking on Air Force One on Thursday afternoon, said he was open to reducing tariffs if trading partners were able to offer something "phenomenal."
"We are not making immediate changes to our forecasts and want to see the initial implementation and negotiation process that takes hold," the JPMorgan note says. "However, we view the full implementation of announced policies as a substantial macroeconomic shock not currently incorporated in our forecasts. We thus emphasize that these policies, if sustained, would likely push the U.S. and possibly global economy into recession this year."
The team also pointed out that the United States is in potential danger no matter how other countries are ultimately impacted, calling a "scenario where rest of world muddles through a U.S. recession possible but less likely than global downturn."
As Common Dreams reported last week, in anticipation of Trump's tariff announcement, Goldman Sachs published a research note projecting that the odds of a recession in the next year are 35%, up from 20%.
Other financial industry research firms that have recently warned of a possible recession include Barclays, BofA Global Research, Deutsche Bank, RBC Capital Markets, and UBS Global Wealth Management, according to Reuters.
"This is a game-changer, not only for the U.S. economy, but for the global economy. Many countries will likely end up in a recession," Olu Sonola, head of U.S. economic research at Fitch Ratings, said in a late Wednesday note about the levies. "You can throw most forecasts out the door, if this tariff rate stays on for an extended period of time."
Experts have made similar comments to the press in the wake of the president's Rose Garden remarks on Wednesday. Time on Friday shared some from Brian Bethune, a Boston College economics professor:
"[Consumers] are not even going to the grocery store and paying more for vegetables because there's none available from Mexico, or going to Whole Foods, for example, and finding the big sections of fresh fruit are being shut down. They haven't really felt the full impact [yet], and they're already saying something isn't right," Bethune says.
However, while some economists... are more cautious in their discussion about a possible recession, Bethune says it's "inevitable." The question, he says, is just how long until it happens and for how long will it occur? He sees Trump's admission of there being " some pain" on the horizon as only proof of the inevitability.
"At least they [the Trump administration] are not pretending that it's not disruptive, but they're basically soft-selling it, reflecting their ignorance about the way business operates," Bethune claims.
Also on Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the latest U.S. jobs data. Although the unemployment rate rose from 4.1% to 4.2% in March, the economy added 228,000 jobs, which was better than expected.
However, economists warn of what lies ahead. As University of Michican economics professor Betsey Stevenson put it, "Today's jobs report is like looking at your vacation photos after you had a horrible car crash on the way home."
"Immigration. Medicaid. Workers' rights. Unions. Education. You name it—we're drawing the line," wrote one union.
In what one outlet has reported is slated to be the largest single-day action to resist the Trump administration since U.S. President Donald Trump's return to power, hundreds of thousands of people nationwide are planning to mobilize on Saturday to say: "Hands Off!"
A list of locations for the events, which are not all slated to start at the same time on Saturday, can be found here.
Trump and Musk "think this country belongs to them," according to a website for the Hands Off! events. "This is a nationwide mobilization to stop the most brazen power grab in modern history."
"They want to strip America for parts—shuttering Social Security offices, firing essential workers, eliminating consumer protections, and gutting Medicaid—all to bankroll their billionaire tax scam. They're handing over our tax dollars, our public services, and our democracy to the ultra-rich," according to the website's about page, which also notes nonviolent action is a "core principle" behind the events.
A spokesperson for the events told Common Dreams on Friday afternoon that the events have generated over 500,000 signups nationally, a number that is "growing rapidly," and there are over 1,000 events taking place on Saturday, a number that is "also growing steadily."
The actions are the latest warning sign for the Republican Party under Trump, who has allowed Elon Musk to play a core role in his administration, particularly in the administration's efforts to carry out cuts to federal personnel and spending.
Musk poured millions of dollars into a high-profile Wisconsin Supreme Court election that took place on April 1—helping to make it the most expensive judicial election in U.S. history by one tally—only to have his preferred candidate, judge Brad Schimel, lose.
"This is a huge signal from a battleground state that Americans are genuinely upset, genuinely angry, I think, with Trump and with Musk," said John Nichols, a correspondent for That Nation, when recapping the outcome of the race on Democracy Now!
Dozens of unions, watchdogs, and advocacy groups—such as Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Americans for Tax Fairness, and Accountable.US—are supporting the action as partners.
"People nationwide are rising up at hundreds of events to say one thing loud and clear: Hands Off!" wrote SEIU on the platform X, which is owned by Musk, on Friday. "Immigration. Medicaid. Workers' rights. Unions. Education. You name it—we're drawing the line."
The environmentalist iIll McKibben wrote on Bluesky on Wednesday: "Expect to see a lot of gray hair at the April 5 Hands Off rallies—we've been organizing like crazy at Third Act," a group that mobilizes Americans over the age of 60.
In early February, anti-Trump "Movement 50501" protests took place nationwide and protestors united under the slogan #TakedownTesla have also targeted Tesla, Musk's electric vehicle company, in recent weeks.
One union leader called President Donald Trump's executive order "the most significant assault on collective bargaining rights we have ever seen in the United States."
A coalition of labor unions representing federal workers across the United States sued the Trump administration on Friday over its recent order aimed at stripping union rights from more than a million government employees, a move that the lawsuit characterizes as a blatant violation of the First Amendment.
The suit, brought by unions that collectively represent more than 950,000 federal workers, stems from a March 27 order titled "Exclusions From Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs," in which President Donald Trump cites a provision of a 1978 law to deny collective bargaining rights to certain government workers on national security grounds.
But the unions behind the new lawsuit say the national security justification is a smokescreen to hide the true intent of the order: further eroding workers' organizing rights.
"Federal employees have had the right to join a union and bargain collectively for decades—through multiple wars, international conflicts, and a global health emergency during President Trump's first term," said Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees. "During all that time, they served the American people with honor and distinction. No one, including President Trump, ever suggested unions were a national security concern."
"Trump's newest order to revoke union rights is a clear case of retaliation," he added. "But I've got news for him: We are not going anywhere."
The lawsuit points specifically to language included in a fact sheet the White House released in conjunction with Trump's March 27 order. The document claims that "certain federal unions have declared war on President Trump's agenda," citing AFGE lawsuits against the administration and legal actions by Veterans Affairs unions.
Shortly after Trump signed the order last week, the administration sued AFGE and many of its local affiliates in federal court in an attempt to cancel dozens of collective bargaining agreements between unions and federal agencies. Reuters noted that the administration claimed the union contracts are impeding "Trump's abilities to purge the federal workforce and protect national security."
"The labor movement stands in solidarity, and we will not let this administration's union-busting tactics silence us."
The unions' new lawsuit states that the "avowedly retaliatory nature" of Trump's executive order and its "attempt to punish federal unions who engage in politically disfavored speech and petitioning activities and decline to 'work with' the president renders it unconstitutional under the First Amendment."
The lawsuit also notes that billionaire Elon Musk, the richest person in the world and a top Trump lieutenant, has used his social media platform to promote a recent post that attacked several federal workers' unions by name.
"The president's unlawful executive order attacking federal unions is not only an attack on a million federal workers but is a direct attack on all workers who seek a collective voice to bargain for a better future," April Verrett, president of the Service Employees International Union, said in a statement Friday. "This is blatant retaliation against brave workers who dared to exercise their First Amendment rights to criticize this administration's authoritarian overreach. The labor movement stands in solidarity, and we will not let this administration’s union-busting tactics silence us."
Randy Erwin, president of the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), called Trump's order "the most significant assault on collective bargaining rights we have ever seen in the United States" and said it is "clear that this executive order is retaliation for federal unions fighting back against the Trump administration's attempts to dismantle the civil service."
"This is yet another direct attack by the President not only on federal employees, but also veterans, working families, and the very fabric of our democracy," said Erwin. "However, federal workers' collective bargaining rights are protected by law and President Trump does not have the right to unilaterally eliminate them. NFFE and our allies are confident the rule of law will be upheld, and the critical rights of working people will be protected."