[ad_1]
Sen. Rob Portman, a Republican from Ohio, left, and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat from Arizona, speak at a press conference in the Dirksen Senate office building in Washington, DC, United States, Wednesday July 28, 2021.
Stefani Reynolds | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The Senate will vote on Friday to advance a bipartisan infrastructure bill as Majority Leader Chuck Schumer pushes to pass it as early as next week.
The procedural measure will need a simple majority to pass the Senate divided 50-50 by party. The chamber last advanced the proposal by a 67-32 margin in a test vote on Wednesday.
The vote continues the Democrats’ race to win two huge strands of their economic agenda before the Senate leaves for its scheduled August 9 recess. The chamber could stay in session all weekend to debate and amend the plan.
The measure would inject $ 550 billion in new funds into transport, electricity, water and broadband. While negotiators have indicated how much money will be spent on everything from roads to railroads and electric vehicle charging stations, senators have not released final legislation.
Democrats aim to pass the bill with a separate $ 3.5 trillion second package that would include a host of other party priorities. The proposal could cover child care, paid vacation, household tax credits and climate policy.
Schumer, DN.Y., hopes to approve a budget resolution, a key step in getting the bill through Congress, before the Senate leaves for its recess. The vote would unblock the budget reconciliation process, allowing Democrats to pass their plan without a Republican vote.
The bipartisan plan had more than enough GOP support to move forward this week. Seventeen Republican Senators, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Voted to go ahead on Wednesday. They joined the 50 Democrats.
Their support for the procedural motion does not mean that they will support the final bill. He will need 60 votes to pass to the Senate.
With their two-pronged strategy, Democratic leaders hope to appease both wings of their party. Centrists wanted to strike a bipartisan infrastructure deal, while progressives aimed to extend the social safety net and better prepare the country to tackle climate change.
The party must navigate an equally divided Senate and a narrow majority in the House to pass both bills. A defection would sink the Democratic bill in the Senate.
Senators including Kyrsten Sinema, D-Arizona, have signaled they will vote to pass the budget resolution, but try to lower their party’s $ 3.5 trillion price tag for the reconciliation bill. House progressives have raised concerns that the plan will not be robust enough.
Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube.
[ad_2]
Source link