“We have an emergency of such magnitude that no one has ever seen before. This is probably the worst situation that is only getting worse and should be getting better,” Pelosi told reporters earlier Thursday.
The California Democrat has been on a private lobbying blitz, participating in hourslong phone calls with the full caucus and then separate briefings with moderate and progressive lawmakers, as she tries to build support for the aid package. Still, several Democrats have privately complained they have no idea what will be in the final legislation, waiting like most of Washington for when Pelosi releases the text.
“There’s been a lot of calls, a lot of conference calls, but there still is concern among folks that we can’t just have a top-down style,” Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) said in an interview, noting that he’s mentioned the issue to Democratic leaders since the caucus is unable to meet in person to give feedback. “I’ve personally said, ‘Make sure it’s not only top-down on this.’”
And Pelosi said Thursday she isn’t negotiating with Republicans or the White House at this point as she builds a consensus within her own caucus first. Senior aides say much of the caucus wants the House to proceed first to put out a marker, though the idea has exacerbated concern among some moderate Democrats that the bill could look too much like a costly wishlist with no chance of being signed into law.
Some Democrats also fear they’re being seen as not doing enough during the pandemic, spooked by recent internal polling in battleground districts last month that found nearly a third of respondents said they couldn’t rate the job their member of Congress is doing to address the coronavirus.
House Democrats’ campaign arm briefed chiefs of staff on the polling Wednesday, alarming some staffers who worry voters don’t think their bosses are adequately tackling the pandemic.
Other Democrats briefed on the survey put a positive spin on the polling; 45 percent of voters in battleground districts approve of the job their lawmaker is doing, meaning they just need to be more proactive in their outreach to target the 30 percent who answered “I don’t know,” according to people briefed on the findings. Twenty-five percent of respondents said they disapproved of their member’s job performance, according to Democrats who viewed the survey.
The polling, which took place in battleground districts in April, was conducted on behalf of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
There are other political concerns among the Democrats’ most endangered members, too. Many are skittish of a giant, kitchen-sink bill that would force a party-line vote that could fuel GOP attacks ahead of the November elections. Instead, many say they’d prefer Democratic leaders to hammer out a bipartisan compromise with Republicans that can quickly deliver aid back home, even if it’s narrower than they’d like.
“I always like to have something worked out beforehand and get a bipartisan bill, the way we’ve been doing it,” added Cuellar, who is a member of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition.
Pelosi — who has repeatedly told her caucus to “go big” on the package — dismissed concerns about its cost in her opening remarks on the caucus call Thursday. “How are you paying? No one asked that question with the $2 trillion tax cut,” she said, referring to the GOP’s 2017 tax-reduction package, according to Democrats who dialed in.
The left wing of the Democratic Caucus, meanwhile, has its own set of anxieties. These Democrats are under intense pressure from both their members and the progressive base to deliver on sweeping proposals such more generous monthly unemployment payments, student loan forgiveness or rent relief to the more than 33 million people who are now out of work.
A number of senior Democrats and aides privately say they’re seeing growing momentum for a plan by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, for the federal government to step in and directly pay workers during the outbreak. The proposal has won support from across the caucus, including more moderate members such as Rep. Steven Horsford of Nevada, as well as economists including former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen. A similar proposal has been backed by Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri.
Source: politico.com
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