Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) basically told Sens. Manchin and Sinema not to even think about backing out of the infrastructure deal.

AOC Sends A Warning To Manchin And Sinema

Video:

.@AOC warns Sinema and Manchin not to back out of the reconciliation infrastructure deal. pic.twitter.com/nYODRKbMre

— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) August 1, 2021

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Rep. Ocasio-Cortez said on CNN’s State Of The Union, “ I mean, that’s the thing. This is the deal, and we have a tight margin in the Senate. I respect that we have to get senator, you know, Sinema and Manchin’s vote on reconciliation. They should respect there’s a tight House margin, and we have to uphold our end of the bargain as well. “

When Jake Tapper asked how many progressives would bail on the bipartisan bill if Manchin and Sinema tried to bail on the reconciliation bill, things got interesting, “I believe a very large amount of the Progressive caucus. The total amount is about 90. You know, I am not the whip of the Progressive caucus but what I can tell you is it’s certainly more than three, and it is in the double digits absolutely. “

Manchin And Sinema Better Stick To Their End Of The Bargain, Or No Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill

The reason why progressives negotiated the fail-safe was that they had been worried that Manchin and Sinema would take the bipartisan bill and run. If Manchin and Sinema try to bail before passing the reconciliation bill, the House will block the bipartisan bill.

In other words, the moderates aren’t going to be able to get something for nothing, and they are going to pay if they break their promise.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association