Those remarks — delivered in the caucus’ first gathering since the Senate passed its infrastructure bill — boosted the confidence of progressives, who have long insisted that Pelosi would keep her vow to hold onto the Senate’s bipartisan bill in order to force the completion of a broader party-line bill. But Pelosi’s timetable hasn’t assuaged a small group of frustrated Democratic moderates who are plotting ways to convince her and her team to change course.

At least six of those centrists say privately they are willing to block consideration of the Democrats’ budget blueprint as a last-ditch move to stall the $3.5 trillion bill, according to two people familiar with the discussions. None of those Democrats would speak publicly about their plans, though they argue their influence is only growing with their party five seats away from losing the House.

Democratic fears of the majority slipping away heightened this week after a respected centrist, Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.), announced his retirement. Several of his fellow moderate Democrats held a strategy call on Wednesday afternoon to discuss how best to use Pelosi’s razor-thin vote margin to their advantage.