Senate works through weekend to pass $ 1 trillion infrastructure bill

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Senators are confident the bill will pass, but now the question is how long it will take, as the exact timing of the final vote is still unclear, although it may take place on weekends. or in the next few days.

After 12 hours of marathon negotiations to try to reach agreement on the final amendment votes that spread late Thursday evening, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that the Senate would meet in again on Saturday and would move to a vote to close debate on the bill.

“We really want to finish this important bill,” Schumer said in ground remarks as he made the announcement.

If the procedural vote continues on Saturday and 60 senators vote to move the bill forward, there will be limited time for debate followed by additional votes – then the final passage. At this point, the passage could take place as early as Saturday if all senators agree. Otherwise, the vote could slide until early next week.

A number of senators had planned to attend the funeral of former GOP Senator Mike Enzi of Wyoming on Friday, which could affect part of the schedule linked to the return of senators on Saturday.
Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema, one of the bill’s top Democratic negotiators, said Thursday evening she looked forward to the chamber pushing forward what will be “historic legislation both in nature. bipartite and in the impact it will have on our country. “
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The massive bipartisan infrastructure package, called the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, is the culmination of long and laborious negotiations between a bipartisan group of senators and the Biden administration and will see both sides claim victory after extensive work in the aisle.

It includes $ 550 billion in new federal spending over five years. The measure invests $ 110 billion in financing roads, bridges and major projects, $ 66 billion in passenger and freight rail transport, $ 65 billion to rebuild the power grid, $ 65 billion to expand broadband Internet access and $ 39 billion to modernize and expand transit systems. Among many other priorities, the bill also provides $ 55 billion for water infrastructure, of which $ 15 billion will be spent on replacing lead pipes.

Senators voted on 22 amendments throughout the week after working the previous weekend to finalize the legislation.

But Senate leaders failed to come to an agreement Thursday night on a series of final amendment votes that they hoped would help speed the bill’s final passage, as several lawmakers exercised their power to extend the process.

First-year Republican Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee said he opposed the speedy passage of the infrastructure bill on Thursday after the Congressional Budget Office score estimated the package would add $ 256 billion to deficits expected over the next decade.

“Despite this news, I was asked to consent to speeding up the process and passing it. I could not, in good conscience, allow this to happen at this hour – especially when the goal of the majority is to hurry up and pass this bill so that they can quickly move on to their $ 3.5 trillion tax and spending spree designed to implement the Green New Deal and increase Americans’ dependence on it. ‘regard to the government, so I opposed it,’ Hagerty said in a statement.

Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the Republican Senate Whip, suggested to reporters late Thursday night that the failure to reach agreement on the amendments was ultimately a “good result, that is, the people sort of go to their corner, wipe their hair off and then we’ll come back and talk about it on Saturday. “

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