House Democrat Comes Out Against Reconciliation Bill

On Thursday, a House Democrat came out against advancing the reconciliation out of the Committee on Ways and Means. That member in question is Rep. Stephanie Murphy of Florida (D-FL).

"I don't think it's asking too much to want to see this bill in its entirety before voting on any part of it. I think tha'ts asking for the absolute minimum," Murphy said.

She'll vote no on advancing it pass W&Ms.

— Alex Ruoff (@Alexruoff) September 9, 2021

Murphy is reportedly the first Democrat to publicly voice opposition to the reconciliation out of the entire committee.

The American Action Network (AAN), which has taken out ads against and released polling showing the congresswoman is considered unpopular, is cautious, however. 

*LONG* list of reasons folks should be skeptical of @RepStephMurphy here

- She already caved to Pelosi once

- She's only speaking out after @AAN put up ads in her district and after AAN released polling showing the bill upside down *11 points* in #FL07https://t.co/mKgz5vxBYL https://t.co/GwWVLvTAws pic.twitter.com/fhR5HUaAYb

— American Action Network (@AAN) September 9, 2021

"It’s a shame it took the fear of ads and abysmal poll numbers for Stephanie Murphy to finally speak out for her constituents,” said AAN Communications Director Calvin Moore. “Congresswoman Murphy already caved to Pelosi once. Voters should be skeptical of Murphy’s promises until she proves her words are anything more than just empty rhetoric.”

Meanwhile, one of the newest squad members, Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-NY), rejected commonsense notions about the bill having a transparent price tag. 

.@RepMondaire on $3.5T spending bill: "I don't want to fix a dollar amount on what the final product should be, but it must meet the moment. I share the president's optimism that Democrats will once again come together... and do the right thing." https://t.co/gXOM5v3NkR pic.twitter.com/H3COHWsypp

— The Hill (@thehill) September 9, 2021

In the U.S. Senate, moderate Democrats, namely Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (AZ) and Joe Manchin (WV), have already signaled their opposition, especially when it comes to the price tag. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who is the Senate Budget Committee Chairman, is not willing to cave.