The Senate passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package after months of negotiations and days of floor debate, sending the bill to the House, where Democrats say they’ll consider it in September alongside a much larger bill that would pay for a broad array of social welfare programs.
The vote was 69-30.
The Senate will begin immediate consideration of a $3.5 trillion budget resolution following passage of the infrastructure bill. No Republican is expected to support the larger spending framework, which would fund universal preschool, free community college, expanded Medicare, amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants, and more. Democrats have labeled the larger spending resolution a “human infrastructure” measure and plan to use a special budget rule that will allow them to pass it without GOP support.
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The traditional infrastructure bill won the backing of more than a dozen GOP lawmakers, many of them negotiators who worked with Democrats and the White House to finalize the deal. The measure provides $550 billion in new spending, about half of it offset with fees and other revenues, while the other half would add to the nation’s debt.
The bill funds projects addressing the nation’s roads, bridges, and waterways, as well as broadband expansion. It would also provide funding for mass transit, rail, and electric vehicle charging stations.
Senators in both parties celebrated the measure as a bipartisan victory that would supply much-needed funding for long-neglected infrastructure.
“This is a historic investment in our nation’s infrastructure which will serve it for decades to come,” said Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican.
President Joe Biden has been touting the infrastructure bill as a historic, bipartisan deal that will fuel economic growth, create jobs, and repair roads, bridges, and other infrastructure while also addressing climate change.
“The deal will boost the economy with an emphasis on equity, global competitiveness, and good-paying jobs,” White House officials tweeted ahead of the vote.
Most Republicans voted against the measure, citing the impact on the deficit and provisions in the bill dedicated to climate change and mass transit.
Republicans who backed the legislation said it would bring needed infrastructure funding to their states, where water pipes need replacing and roads and bridges are aging.
Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, a West Virginia Republican and top negotiator, touted the money that would be used to help her state not only fix roads and bridges but expand broadband to rural communities.
“The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act prioritizes states like West Virginia and will help us close the digital divide,” Capito said Tuesday. “This is a major win for our state.”
The bipartisanship on the Senate floor will be fleeting.
Capito will join other Republicans in opposing the $3.5 trillion package, which Democrats have linked to the bipartisan bill in order to cajole members of their party to back the massive measure.
Republicans are gearing up for the fight and plan to offer “hundreds” of amendments to try to change the measure during debate this week.
“We are talking about a massive expansion of the government, literally to give people free everything,” said Senate Minority Whip John Thune, a South Dakota Republican.
Republicans say the measure will push the nation toward socialism while raising taxes, killing jobs, stifling the economy, and piling onto the debt.
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Thune pointed out the $3.5 trillion cost would be in addition to $1.9 trillion in COVID-19 aid and the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.
“You are talking about a stunning, staggering, insane amount of money,” Thune said.
