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Senators will resume a weekend session on Sunday to pass a $ 1 billion bipartisan infrastructure package amid threats from former President Donald Trump who raged against all Republicans who support the measure.
The bill would provide what Joe Biden called a “historic investment” in public works programs, from roads and bridges to broadband Internet access, clean water and more. It was due to pass on Saturday – before going to the House – but encountered Republican procedural delays, forcing another day of debate.
Trump, who maintains a strong grip on the party and intense popularity with much of his base, is also throwing a wrench in the work by attacking any member of his party who supports the bill.
“Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill is a disgrace,” he said in a statement, then added that “… will be very difficult for me to support someone from stupid enough to vote for this deal. “
In a rare bipartisan coup, Republicans joined Democrats in pushing forward with the measure and more votes are expected on Sunday. If approved, the bill would go to the House, where it could be subject to change and – if it does – it could return to the Senate for another vote before heading to Biden’s office. .
Despite the overwhelming support, momentum has dragged on as a few Republican senators refused to cede the required 30 hours of debate before the next round of procedural votes, which could delay the package’s swift passage and result in a drudgery of days.
“We can do it the easy way or the hard way,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Saturday.
But as hours passed without any deal being reached to speed up the process of considering amendments and final votes, Schumer said senators would resume at noon on Sunday.
Senators were meeting for the second weekend in a row to work on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which is the first of Biden’s two infrastructure packages.
Once the vote is over, Senators will immediately move on to Biden’s next item of business, the budget for a $ 3.5 billion package of child care, senior care, and healthcare. other programs which is a much more partisan endeavor and which should only attract support from Democrats.
Schumer pledged to keep Senators in session until they complete the bipartisan bill and begin initial votes on the next big package.
For some Republican senators, the back-to-back vote on Biden’s top priorities is what they’re trying to delay, in hopes of slowing or stopping what appears to be a steady march to meet the president’s infrastructure goals.
Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, an ally of Donald Trump and the former president’s former ambassador to Japan, was among those who led the effort to get the Senate to take as long as needed to debate and amend the bill. .
“There is absolutely no reason to rush,” Hagerty said during a speech on the ground on Saturday.
Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has so far allowed the bill to move forward and supported it, despite broadside and name-calling from Trump. “It’s a compromise,” McConnell said.
Senators have spent the past week dealing with nearly two dozen amendments to the 2,700-page package, but so far none have significantly altered its framework.
Other amendments could be debated on Sunday with senators considering revisions to a section on cryptocurrency, a long-standing effort by defense hawks to add $ 50 billion to defense-related infrastructure and a bipartisan amendment. to reallocate some of the untapped Covid-19 relief aid that had been sent to states.
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