WITH THE BIPARTISAN infrastructure bill set to come up for a vote Thursday in the House, tensions between moderate and progressive Democrats in Washington have rarely seemed sharper — and one of New Hampshire’s representatives is carefully aligning himself between the factions.
Rep. Chris Pappas has not joined a group of centrist Democratic representatives in the House who have aimed to slow the Democratic bill to fund new education, health care and child care programs. But Pappas is working to stake out his own moderate territory around the infrastructure debate.
First came a news release in August, calling for the House to vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill right after the Senate passed it, rather than wait for the other bill. This week, Pappas said on Twitter that he supported both bills, but wanted the infrastructure bill passed without delay — along with legislation to raise the debt ceiling, so the United States can pay its bills and avoid a government shutdown.
“I’m disappointed at the games being played by many in Washington — Democrats and Republicans alike. We must pass the infrastructure bill while we craft Build Back Better legislation that will protect the planet and improve people’s lives,” Pappas tweeted.
“Choosing to oppose this infrastructure bill now is irresponsible and will have negative impacts for our states and communities. I am not willing to risk the jobs of hard-working Granite Staters or the safety of our infrastructure.”
Rep. Annie Kuster has stayed away from the fracas so far. But in a statement, she said she hoped both bills would pass.
“I look forward to voting for the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act which will provide billions in funding to New Hampshire to rebuild our roads, deploy broadband to rural communities, and create thousands of jobs,” Kuster said. “The House should pass this bipartisan bill and advance the Build Back Better Act — transformative legislation that will reduce health care costs, lower the cost of college, tackle the climate crisis, and make child care more affordable for American families.”
Despite divisions in the party, Kuster and Pappas also aimed to keep pressure on Republicans, as the debt ceiling vote stalled earlier this week.
“I’m outraged that Republicans in the House and Senate refuse to do their jobs and work cooperatively to ensure the country’s bills are paid,” Pappas said. “Today they have voted to bring on an immediate recession that would wipe out 6 million jobs and $15 trillion in retirement savings and household wealth.”
Afghanistan lessons
During Tuesday’s Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen pressed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, about the lessons that could be taken from the fast fall of Afghanistan’s former government.
Shaheen has put her focus on enabling systems to facilitate evacuations — like her effort to create more Special Immigrant Visas for Afghans who worked with the American military. During the hearing, she looked ahead, asking Milley and Austin what lessons the United States can take from the withdrawal.
“How do we avoid that happening again?” she asked.
Austin, asked about how to make sure people who helped the American military could receive visas to come to the United States, said he would work with Shaheen’s office toward a better system.
As for the rapid fall of the former Afghan government as Afghan military units seemed to disappear, Milley told Shaheen the United States had withdrawn American advisers from those units years ago — and so had no sense of Afghan soldiers’ mindsets.
“We had some indicators, but we didn’t have the full, wholesome assessment of leadership, morale and will,” Milley said. “Many units did fight at the very end, but the vast majority put their weapons down and melted away.”
“We clearly missed that.”
The senator’s comments draw a sharp contrast with the criticism of Milley leveled last week by retired Brig. Gen. Don Bolduc, who ran in the Republican primary to take on Shaheen in 2020. He is seeking the Republican nomination for Senate again.
Bolduc’s criticism of Milley had less to do with the fate of Afghans seeking to get out of the country, and more on the general’s decision to speak to reporters about the end of the Trump administration.
After the hearing Tuesday, Bolduc said in a radio interview he thought Milley should have been more forceful in recommending American troops stay in Afghanistan.
Reversing a tax hike
Kuster and Shaheen have introduced a bill to remove a tax on water utilities, which Kuster’s office said is one factor pushing up the cost of new construction — and even causing some developments to be canceled.
The tax came into effect as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the bill signed into law by President Donald Trump that aimed to lower taxes on businesses and individuals.
“It is imperative that Congress fix this error from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that needlessly increases housing costs and makes it harder to provide clean drinking water to families,” Kuster said in a statement, referring to the 2017 tax law passed under former President Donald Trump. “This tax has already had a negative impact in my district, where building out new water infrastructure projects is critical to mitigating exposure to PFAS and other harmful chemicals that can infiltrate private well systems.”
The bill would undo a section of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that imposed a tax on water utilities for infrastructure after housing developers installed pipes, sewers and other water infrastructure. Before 2017, those transfers of property were not taxed.
Kuster’s office said a small water utility in New Hampshire is facing over $1 million in taxes, which would be reversed if the bill is passed.
