Infrastructure vote: Senate introduces bipartisan bill

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Leading Republican negotiators on bipartisan infrastructure legislation speak to reporters after meeting privately with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) at the US Capitol on July 28, 2021 in Washington, DC. T

Drew Angerer | Getty Images

The Senate voted on Wednesday to advance a bipartisan infrastructure plan, a crucial step toward Democrats’ passage of their comprehensive economic agenda.

Senators voted 67 to 32 in favor of pushing the bill forward; 17 Republicans and 50 Democrats voted yes.

The vote opens the process of debating and amending the proposal that would put $550 billion into transportation, broadband and utilities. While senators who supported the procedural proposal could oppose the final package, Wednesday’s vote bodes well for the chances of it passing.

The agreement came together earlier in the day after Democratic and Republican negotiators resolved disagreements over transit funding and broadband funding, among other issues. The plan was cut from the $579 billion in spending for new senators and the White House approved last month — an amount many Democrats deemed a paltry.

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Supporters of the bill hailed it as a necessary investment that will boost the economy as the United States tries to exit the coronavirus pandemic. Democrats still face a host of pitfalls as they try to get the bipartisan bill and their separate $3.5 trillion spending package for President Joe Biden’s office in the coming months.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, will have to retain all 50 members of his party and at least 10 Republicans to ensure the infrastructure plan passes. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, will need to win progressive support for a bill smaller than required in a narrowly divided room.

A second, separate $3.5 trillion plan to invest in child care, paid leave, education, and measures to curb climate change could pose more problems. Every Senate Democrat would need to support the package to pass without Republican votes.

Some Democrats, such as Kirsten Sinema of Arizona, have indicated they want a smaller bill to settle the final budget. Cinema was the lead Democratic negotiator on the bipartisan bill.

Attempts to appease centrists may alienate liberals who fear that a bipartisan infrastructure bill will fail to do enough to tackle climate change or strengthen the social safety net.

Schumer aims to pass both the bipartisan bill and budget resolution outlining the reconciliation process before leaving the Senate for recess next month. The Senate will have to rush to pass both measures on Schumer’s timeline in an institution not known for speed.

Pelosi insisted that she would not introduce the infrastructure bill or budget measure to the House floor until the Senate passed both.

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