Democrats race to push a bipartisan infrastructure bill into the Senate

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“Such as [Senate Majority] Leader [Chuck] Schumer said he wants to move on both the bipartisan plan and budget decision during the upcoming Senate hearing in July/August,” a White House official said in an email. “What we understand is that the process could begin as early as the week of 7/19 , given that the committees are still finalizing the legislative text for both the budget resolution and the bipartisan bill.”

“We are of course in favor of moving forward as quickly as possible, but it would be a mistake to think of July 19 as more than just opening a window,” the official added.

Terrell and Gove were updating Hill aides on the president’s speech outside Chicago later that day, a speech that would highlight the bipartisan deal. They also took questions about infrastructure and the upcoming budget settlement package, through which the party is expected to transfer components of President Joe Biden’s American families plan.

White House officials were also asked if ground transportation appropriations — or congressional-directed spending on member-appointed projects — would be included in the bipartisan bill. The administration referred it to the committee chairs but did not take a position, according to multiple sources on the call.

Democratic staffers were also concerned that the White House might consider selling federal government property or assets as a way to pay for the bipartisan deal, but White House aides said selling federal assets wouldn’t be an option, according to a source in Connect.

The call was the latest indication that after months of negotiations, Democrats are increasingly feeling the urgency of moving the infrastructure package through Congress. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer pledged that if there was a bipartisan bill to consider, it would be before he left the Senate for August recess.

The group of more than 20 senators who compiled the Infrastructure Deal Framework — made up of centrists in both parties — is working to turn its proposal into legislative language this recess. They have broken down into specific subgroups that focus on parts of policy such as broadband or finance and are moving quickly to turn that into legislative language.

A group of moderate senators aims to craft their legislative language by next week in preparation for groundwork, according to sources in both parties, but that could be ambitious. Lawmakers are still trying to figure out how to get their revenue streams, which do not include new taxes, to cover nearly $600 billion in new spending. Before the July 4 break, senators settled on using infrastructure privatization, unused coronavirus aid and unspent unemployment benefits to help pay for the legislation.

Schumer plans to consider both the bipartisan bill and budget resolution in July, paving the way for the massive bipartisan spending bill, which will likely have to wait until the fall for passage. Democrats view the two spending bills as complementary, one written by centrists in both parties for solid infrastructure, and the other a partisan spending package focused on climate change, child care, and other potential items such as immigration reform, expanding Medicare and drug prices.

Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee are aiming to get the total spending figure and party priorities for this massive bill put in place by early next week. This number should strike a balance between President Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and his more moderate member, Senator Mark Warner (D-Va).

Sanders wants to spend up to $6 trillion, a number that has faced some resistance from moderate Democrats, who favor something closer to $2 trillion. The price for this legislation will be paid in part by increased corporate taxes and capital gains for the wealthy, and may be the Democrats’ best chance of making significant political gains with full control of Washington, DC.

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