Biden said, “Today, I proved that democracy can still function,” at the White House. He took note of the 69-30 vote, which included Senator Republican leader Mitch McConnell.
This approval gives momentum to the first phase of Biden’s priorities “Build Back Better”, which now heads to the House. This approval also opens the door to a contentious debate over the $3.5 trillion larger package that Biden is proposing next in the Senate. It is a more liberal proposal for child care, eldercare and other programs. This is expected to attract only Democratic support. This debate will likely continue into the fall.
Numerous lawmakers indicated that they are willing to put aside partisan pressures and send billions of dollars to their states to rebuild roads, broadband internet and water pipes, as well as the public works system that supports so much of American life.
The infrastructure was once the mainstay of lawmaking. However, Congress’s struggle to find a compromise over several weeks has shown how difficult it is for them to deal with routine legislating even when they share common priorities.
Biden stated, “We can still work together to accomplish big things, important tasks for the American people.”
The Republican praise was also exuberant, but less so.
One of the negotiators, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), said, “This infrastructure bill was not the perfect bill.” She stated that the senators continued to work on it because they believed it was better to get some of the constituents’ wishes than none.
Tuesday’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act started with a group of 10 senators who seized on Biden’s campaign promise to draft a scaled-down version of his initial $2.3 trillion proposal, one that could more broadly appeal to both parties in the narrowly divided Congress, especially the 50-50 Senate.
It became a 2,700-page bill, supported by the president as well as business, labor, and farm interests. It attracted a large coalition of senators as well as a bipartisan group to the House.
All in all, 19 Republicans voted for Senate passage with all Democrats. As the presiding officer, Vice President Kamala Harris announced the final count.
Liberal lawmakers claimed the package isn’t sufficient to make Biden’s priorities more prominent, while conservatives said it was too expensive and shouldn’t be paid as much. However, the coalition of centrist senators managed to keep the bill in place. The bill was not able to be lowered despite broadsides from Donald Trump.
The bill proposes almost $550 billion in new spending over five year, in addition to existing federal authorizations for public work that will reach virtually all corners of the country. This is a potentially historic expense Biden has made on par with the construction of the interstate highway or transcontinental railroad.
The money can be used to repair roads and bridges as well as to protect the public utilities systems from cyberattacks. It also helps to modernize and modernize electric grid. As well as airports and freight trains, public transit receives a boost. The majority of lead water pipes in America could easily be replaced.
Sen. Ohio’s Rob Portman, who was the Republican lead negotiator said that the work showed the American people that it is possible to come together on a bipartisan basis and get something done.
Senator Kyrsten Sinema was the top Democratic negotiator and stated that rarely will one piece of legislation have such an impact on so many Americans. She paid tribute to her Arizona Senator John McCain, and stated that she wanted to follow his lead to reach bipartisan agreements that would bring the country together.
The bill was drafted during the COVID-19 crises. It would provide $65 billion to broadband. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) negotiated this provision because the coronavirus pandemic proved that broadband is not a luxury, but a necessity. States will be able to expand broadband and make it more accessible.
Despite the momentum, action slowed last weekend when Sen. Bill Hagerty, a Tennessee Republican allied with Trump, refused to speed up the process.
Trump called his former Japan ambassador and cheered on him, but it is unclear whether the former president’s views still hold as much influence with most senators. Trump made new complaints just hours before Tuesday’s vote. During his time at the White House, he had attempted and failed to pass his own bill on infrastructure.
Other Republican senators were critical of the package’s size, scope, and financing. This was especially after the Congressional Budget Office stated that it would add $256 Billion to deficits over the next decade.
Senator McConnell, a Kentucky Republican senator, opted to not press his fellow Republicans. He remained behind the scenes and did much of the bipartisan work. He let the voting proceed and may have benefited from this package being enabled in a stroke bipartisanship, while trying to stop Biden’s next big attempt. He voted in favor of passage Tuesday.
The bipartisan package will be funded through repurposing money, not the $3.5 trillion second package. This would be in contrast to the higher taxes for corporations and the wealthy.
Backers of the bill argue that the budget office was unable to account for certain revenue streams that could offset its costs, including future economic growth.
The senators have been working on nearly two dozen amendments over the last week, but none of them significantly changed its framework.
Although both Biden infrastructure packages will be considered by the House, the House is expected to take them together. However, Speaker Nancy Pelosi was urged by centrist lawmakers to quickly bring forward the bipartisan plan. They raised concerns about the larger bill as a sign that complicated politics are still ahead.
She declared after the Senate vote that today was a day of progress…a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
