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      Senate resumes infrastructure debate as Trump threatens Republicans who back bill

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      US SenateSenate resumes infrastructure debate as Trump threatens Republicans who back billTrump says it ‘will be very hard for me to endorse anyone foolish enough to vote in favor of this deal’ as session to resume at noon01:21Edward HelmoreSun 8 Aug 2021 13.59 EDTFirst published on Sun 8 Aug 2021 09.09 EDTSenators resumed a weekend session toward passage of a $1tn bipartisan infrastructure package on Sunday amid threats from former president Donald Trump who raged against any Republicans who support the measure.Majority leader Chuck Schumer stressed to colleagues that they could proceed the “easy way or the hard way”, while a few Republican senators appeared determined to run out the clock for days. “We’ll keep proceeding until we get this bill done,” Schumer said.The bill would provide what Joe Biden has called a “historic investment” in public works programs, from roads and bridges to broadband internet access, drinking water and more. It was expected to pass on Saturday – before it heads to the House – but ran into Republican procedural delays, forcing yet another day of debate.Trump, who maintains a strong grip on the party and intense popularity with much of its base, also throw a spanner in the works by attacking any of his party who back the bill.“Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill is a disgrace,” he said in a statement and then added that it “…will be very hard for me to endorse anyone foolish enough to vote in favor of this deal.”In a rare stroke of bipartisanship, Republicans joined Democrats to advance the measure and more votes are expected Sunday. If approved, the bill would go to the House, where it might face changes and – if it does – it could return to the Senate for another vote before heading to Biden’s desk.Despite the overwhelming support, momentum has dragged as a few Republican senators refused to yield 30 hours of required debate before the next set of procedural votes, which could delay swift passage of the package and result in a dayslong slog.Senators were meeting for the second consecutive weekend to work on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which is the first of Biden’s two infrastructure packages.Once voting wraps up, senators immediately will turn to the next item on Biden’s agenda, the budget outline for a $3.5tn package of child care, elder care and other programs that is a much more partisan undertaking and expected to draw only Democratic support.Schumer has vowed to keep senators in session until they finish up the bipartisan bill and start the initial votes on the next big package.For some Republican senators, the back-to-back voting on Biden’s big priorities is what they are trying to delay, hoping to slow or halt what appears to be a steady march to achieve the president’s infrastructure goals.Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, an ally of Donald Trump and the former president’s ambassador to Japan, was among those leading the effort for the Senate to take as much time as needed to debate and amend the bill.“There’s absolutely no reason to rush,” Hagerty said during a floor speech Saturday. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has so far allowed the bill to progress and backed it, despite the broadsides and name-calling coming from Trump. “This is a compromise,” McConnell said.Senators have spent the past week processing nearly two dozen amendments to the 2,700-page package, but so far none has substantially changed its framework.More amendments could be debated Sunday with senators considering revisions to a section on cryptocurrency, a long-shot effort by defense hawks to add $50bn for defense-related infrastructure and a bipartisan amendment to repurpose a portion of the untapped Covid-19 relief aid that had been sent to the states.TopicsUS SenateBiden administrationJoe BidenDonald TrumpRepublicansUS politicsnewsReuse this content More

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      Republicans join Democrats to advance $1tn infrastructure bill – video

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      Chuck Schumer warned that coming to a bipartisan compromise could be ‘hard’ as Republicans joined Democrats to advance a $1tn infrastructure bill in the US Senate, remaining in session over the weekend.
      The bill represents the biggest spending in decades on American infrastructure including roads, bridges, airports and waterways, in what Joe Biden has called a ‘historic investment’ in public works.

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      What’s in the bipartisan infrastructure bill and what’s left out – visual explainer

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      Biden administrationWhat’s in the bipartisan infrastructure bill and what’s left out – visual explainerBill maintains a large portion of Biden’s proposals for roads, public transit and high-speed internet – but cuts some of the more contentious spending items Andrew Witherspoon and Alvin ChangWed 4 Aug 2021 12.54 EDTLast modified on Wed 4 Aug 2021 13.14 EDTA bipartisan group of US senators have proposed billions of dollars of new spending on roads, public transit, affordable high-speed internet and clean drinking water, among other things.This latest bill, called the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, is significant because it’s an iteration of President Biden’s infrastructure plan – but pared down so that it can garner enough Republican support to get through the Senate and be signed into law.The $550bn plan costs less than a quarter of Biden’s American Jobs Plan, which proposed $2.6tn in new spending over the next decade. But the bill still funds many of the investments the Biden administration has prioritized. In addition, it appears to have support from at least 10 Republicans – enough to overcome a filibuster which requires at least 60 of the 100 Senate votes.Here’s what was stripped from Biden’s plan and what is still in the Senate version:A huge portion of transportation infrastructure is still fundedThe new bill proposed $109bn in new investments for roads, bridges and related projects. It also makes significant investments in rail projects, public transit and airports. The biggest cut from Biden’s plan was in funding for nationwide infrastructure that electrifies America’s vehicles.Transportation fundingInvestments in the power grid, high-speed internet and clean water are still big parts of the new billThe bipartisan bill invests tens of billions of dollars in the country’s power grid. This is especially salient in 2021: Americans have felt the impacts of the country’s fragile grid infrastructure, from the blackouts in Texas to threats of brownouts during the summer heatwaves. In addition the bill makes massive investments in providing high-speed internet to all Americans, as well as fixing water infrastructure. The Senate bill falls short of Biden’s initial proposal, but it still makes significant new investments to address some of the Biden administration’s biggest priorities.Core infrastructureWhat was left out: the most contentious proposals on housing, clean energy tax credits and long-term careBiden’s initial bill included about $1.7tn in new spending for long-term care for older adults and people with disabilities, clean energy tax credits, schools and climate change research, among other things.Other billsMany of these line items faced strong opposition from Republicans and were left out of this bipartisan bill. They may be added into the budget bill, which the Senate will tackle in the coming months. A budget bill could be passed with a mere Senate majority using a process called budget reconciliation, and Democrats control 50 seats with the tie-breaking vote in Vice-President Kamala Harris. That said, moderate Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) said she doesn’t support the $3.5tn price tag for that bill, so it may need to be pared down to pass.TopicsBiden administrationJoe BidenUS SenateUS politicsexplainersReuse this content More