Senator Ben Cardin was caught on a hot mic with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg sharing the information in connection with the infrastructure package.
During a press conference on Monday, Cardin was caught on a C-SPAN mic claiming that the Democrats are planning to use reconciliation to push an infrastructure bill through Congress. Cardin further told Buttigieg that the infrastructure package will be similar to the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill which was signed by President Joe Biden last week.
The reconciliation bill was supported by the Democrats as they looked for an avenue to get the COVID-19 relief bill passed through the senate filibuster and land on President Biden’s desk. The reconciliation process allows the lawmakers to sidestep the Senate filibusters. In simpler terms, a simple majority is required to get the bill passed through a reconciliation process.
Senator Cardin has claimed that Democrats have passed an infrastructure package with a majority of 51 votes through the reconciliation process which is an easier thing to do as compared to the 60-vote requirement.
Cardin’s hot mic conversation went viral on social media just after a week of Congress passing the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package. The Republicans have been very critical of the COVID-19 relief plan.
Many critics have claimed that the package has many loopholes which can trickle out the funds before the deserving Americans have a chance to avail the package. For example, a large pool of money i.e., $350 million has been allocated to the states and local governments that might not be efficient to utilize the fund to combat the COVID-19 virus.
Cardin and Buttigieg have both maintained their silence over the hot mic conversation controversy. Both have not responded to any requests of commenting on the situation or released any official statement.
