Psaki Defends Pelosi’s Decision To Sit On ‘Vital’ Infrastructure During Ongoing Budget Battle

Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy pressed White House press secretary Jen Psaki during Tuesday’s press briefing on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to wait on “vital” infrastructure investments until the Senate passes a larger infrastructure package through budget reconciliation.

“When you talk about vital investments, if it is so vital, why is [President Joe Biden] OK waiting for the House to pick it up until reconciliation is done?” Doocy asked. “Why not just ask Speaker Pelosi, we need to do this, these bridges are crumbling, people need clean drinking water now?” (RELATED: Infrastructure Bill Set To Sail Through The Senate After Beating Final Filibuster)

Psaki described the items addressed in the infrastructure bill as “long overdue” and said that the White House is “confident and comfortable” with Pelosi’s decision.

“Well, these are vital because they are long overdue, and it’s important to modernize our infrastructure and make sure kids have access to clean drinking water,” Psaki said. “It’s also designed as a plan that would be implemented over the course of eight years.”

“It wouldn’t be a huge injection immediately in the economy, to go back to your prior question,” she added. “And we are confident and comfortable with the strategic approach of Speaker Pelosi. The president of course looks forward to signing each of these pieces of legislation into law.”

The Senate passed its bipartisan infrastructure bill on Tuesday. The $1.2 trillion bill is the largest investment in American infrastructure since the 1950s, and senators are now poised to take up Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ $3.5 trillion budget resolution.

Every Democrat and 19 Republicans voted in favor of the bipartisan bill passed Tuesday.