Infrastructure Bill: Senate Passes $1 Trillion Bipartisan Bill, Biden Economic Agenda Heads To House
After weeks of negotiations, the Senate on Tuesday passed a sweeping $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill by a vote of 69-30 as Democrats aim to push President Biden’s economic agenda forward. The bill needed 67 votes and now needs to pass the House.
The bill includes $550 billion in new spending for transportation, water systems, broadband, roads, bridges, and more.
“Today is a very good day. We have come to an agreement after all the long, hard negotiating, the stops and the starts, we’re here. It’s a good thing, a very good thing for America,” said Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
“It’s long-term spending to repair and replace and build assets that will last for decades. In doing so, it does make life better for people,” said Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio.
The bill was celebrated by Biden and members of his administration.
“We are within days, possibly hours of seeing this historic legislation that is going to get us roads, and bridges, better ports, and airports, a better future for our economy and creating millions of jobs,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
The bill is expected to strongly improve the country’s aging infrastructure, which has a grade of C-, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers.
The bill comes as Democrats push for a $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill. Schumer has been determined to pass both bills through the Senate prior to their August recess.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has made it clear she will not let either bill come to a vote in the House unless both bills pass the Senate.
The reconciliation bill is expected to include paid sick and parental leave, expanding Medicare to include dental, vision, and hearing, funding childcare, universal pre-K, two years of paid community college, and combating climate change. All 50 Democrats will be needed in order to pass the most ambitious part of Biden's economic recovery plan.
“The Democratic budget will be the most significant legislation for American families since the era of the New Deal and the Great Society. It is big, bold change. The kind of change America thirsts for,” Schumer said.
The fate of the reconciliation bill may rest in the hands of Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. Both have stated they will support the budget resolution but might not vote for the final bill.
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.