Problems Solvers Caucus backs bipartisan infrastructure deal

The infrastructure deal negotiated by President Joe Biden and Republicans in the Senate got some bipartisan support in the House after the Problem Solvers Caucus formally backed the plan Tuesday.

“In light of the bipartisan, bicameral genesis of the framework, we encourage an expeditious, stand-alone vote in the House and thank our bipartisan Senate partners and the Biden Administration for working so closely with us to demonstrate that cooperation is still possible in Washington,” the caucus said in a statement Tuesday.

Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-Wyckoff) and Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) formed the bipartisan caucus with the goal of breaking Washington’s Partisan gridlock in 2017.

The group has the power to move 58 votes in the lower chamber, where Democrats hold a majority of just nine members.

Support from the caucus is likely to smooth the infrastructure plan’s passage through the lower chamber. The deal, worth nearly $1 trillion is being drafted into legislation in the Senate, where leaders intend to move it for a vote later this month.

Democratic lawmakers have adopted the same timeframe for a separate package funding other Biden priorities. They plan to move that measure, which is still being drafted, this month through a reconciliation vote, which would allow them to pass the bill with a simple majority votes in the upper chamber.

It’s a maneuver frequently used to circumvent the 60-vote threshold for passing legislation in the Senate.