The biggest guessing game in the Capitol: When will Pelosi hold the infrastructure vote?

Politics|The biggest guessing crippled successful the Capitol: When volition Pelosi clasp the infrastructure vote?

• Sept. 30, 2021, 7:08 p.m. ET

“That’s the path,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared, arsenic she zipped betwixt her bureau and the House chamber, surrounded by her information item and a gaggle of reporters. “That’s the 1 we’re on. And it’s inactive on.”

Ms. Pelosi whitethorn beryllium connected a path, but with President Biden’s infrastructure measure inactive successful limbo connected Thursday evening, cipher successful the Capitol seemed to cognize rather what that way was.

Ms. Pelosi had promised the House would ballot Thursday connected the bill. Instead, rank-and-file Democrats and members of the Democratic enactment squad trooped successful and retired of the speaker’s suite connected the 2nd level of the Capitol for overmuch of the day, arsenic Ms. Pelosi tried to circular up the indispensable votes to walk the measure.

Liberals were balking, insisting they would ballot nary unless the measurement was paired with an expansive societal argumentation bill. Moderates were frustrated; they request to amusement their constituents that they are doing thing — thing — and are anxious for the vote. The question of the time was: Would the measure travel to the floor, arsenic Ms. Pelosi had promised? Nobody seemed prepared to connection an unqualified “yes.”

“I don’t know,” Representative Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, the No. 3 House Democrat, told reporters who asked if the ballot would travel Thursday night. Mr. Clyburn is the Democratic whip — the person liable for counting (or successful legislature parlance, “whipping”) votes. But for this bill, astatine least, it appears the 1 cracking the whip is Ms. Pelosi.

The No. 2 Democrat, Representative Steny D. Hoyer of Maryland, did not person overmuch to add. Are you confident, helium was asked, that if the measure came to the level it would pass? “I’m assured that a bulk of members are for it,” helium said, leaving unfastened the anticipation that being for it and voting for it are not the aforesaid thing.

As day headed toward evening, reporters were taking bets. Would the ballot travel astatine midnight? 1 a.m.? Later? Was determination an ample proviso of caffeine successful the property gallery? Some successful the Democratic fertile and record were increasing frustrated.

“We’ve been told implicit and implicit that we’re voting connected this today,” said Representative Elissa Slotkin, a centrist Democrat from Michigan. “All the caucuses that I’m portion of person been telling maine that we’re voting connected this today. We’re conscionable waiting, for standby, connected when.”

At 5:45 p.m., she got her reply — benignant of. The House went into recess, with nary votes scheduled until astatine slightest 9 p.m.