US Senate passes USD 1 trillion infrastructure bill

With a robust vote after weeks of fits and starts the Senate approved a USD 1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan a rare coalition of Democrats and Republicans joining to overcome skeptics and deliver a cornerstone of President Joe Bidens agendaThe 6930 tally provides momentum for this first phase of Bidens Build Back Better priorities now headed to the House A sizable number of lawmakers showed they were willing to set aside partisan pressures eager to send billions to their states for rebuilding roads broadband internet water pipes and the public works systems that underpin much of American lifeInfrastructure was once a mainstay of lawmaking but the weekslong slog to strike a compromise showed how hard it has become for Congress to tackle routine legislating even on shared priorities Theres been detours and everything else but this will do a whole lot of good for America said Senate Majority Leader Chuck SchumerThe outline for Bidens bigger USD 35 trillion package is next up for the Senate a more liberal undertaking of child care elder care and other programs that is much more partisan and expected to draw only Democratic support That debate is expected to extend into the fall Tuesdays Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act started with a group of 10 senators who seized on Bidens campaign promise to draft a scaleddown version of his initial USD 23 trillion proposal one that could more broadly appeal to both parties in the narrowly divided Congress especially the 5050 SenateIt swelled to a 2700page bill backed by the president and also business labour and farm interests It drew an expansive alliance of senators and a bipartisan group in the House Vice President Kamala Harris as presiding officer announced the final Senate tallyWhile liberal lawmakers said the package doesnt go far enough as a downpayment on Bidens priorities and conservatives said it is too costly and should be more fully paid for the coalition of centrist senators was able to hold Even a barrage of broadsides from former President Donald Trump could not bring the bill downThis infrastructure bill is not the perfect bill said Sen Lisa Murkowski RAlaska one of the negotiators She said the senators kept at it believing Its better to get some of what our constituents want rather than none of itThe measure proposes nearly USD550 billion in new spending over five years in addition to current federal authorizations for public works that will reach virtually every corner of the country a potentially historic expenditure Biden has put on par with the building of the transcontinental railroad or interstate highway systemTheres money to rebuild roads and bridges and also to shore up coastlines against climate change protect public utility systems from cyberattacks and modernize the electric grid Public transit gets a boost as do airports and freight rail Most lead drinking water pipes in America could be replacedSen Rob Portman of Ohio the lead Republican negotiator said the proposals have been talked about for years yet never seem to get done including for a bridge across the Ohio River between his state and Kentucky Well be getting it right for the American people he saidThe top Democratic negotiator Sen Kyrsten Sinema said rarely will a piece of legislation affect so many Americans She gave a nod to the late fellow Arizona Sen John McCain and said she was trying to follow his example to reach bipartisan agreements that try to bring the country together Drafted during the Covid19 crisis the bill would provide USD 65 billion for broadband a provision Sen Susan Collins RMaine negotiated because she said the coronavirus pandemic showed that such service is no longer a luxury it is a necessityiquest States will receive money to expand broadband and make it more affordableDespite the momentum action slowed last weekend when Sen Bill Hagerty a Tennessee Republican allied with Trump refused to speed up the process Trump had called his onetime Japan ambassador and cheered him on but its unclear if the former presidents views still carry as much sway with most senatorsTrump issued fresh complaints hours before Tuesdays vote He had tried and failed to pass his own infrastructure bill during his time in the White House Other Republican senators objected to the size scope and financing of the package particularly concerned after the Congressional Budget Office said it would add USD256 billion to deficits over the decade Two Republicans Sens Jerry Moran of Kansas and Todd Young of Indiana had been part of initial negotiations shaping the package but ultimately opposed itMy efforts to reach a compromise were honest amp sincere amp unfortunately we were unable to arrive at a bill I could support Moran said in a tweet Rather than pressure his colleagues Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has stayed behind the scenes for much of the bipartisan work He allowed the voting to proceed and may benefit from enabling this package in a stroke of bipartisanship while trying to stop Bidens next big effort He voted for passage on TuesdayAlso Read US trying to help India others to produce vaccine BidenUnlike the USD 35 trillion second package which would be paid for by higher tax rates for corporations and the wealthy the bipartisan package is to be funded by repurposing other money including some Covid19 aid The bills backers argue that the budget offices analysis was unable to take into account certain revenue streams that will help offset its costs including future economic growthSenators have spent the past week processing nearly two dozen amendments but none substantially changed its framework The House is expected to consider both Biden infrastructure packages together but centrist lawmakers urged Speaker Nancy Pelosi to bring the bipartisan plan forward quickly and they raised concerns about the bigger bill in a sign of the complicated politics still aheadThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated 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