U.S. senators are optimistic about the prospects of the bipartisan infrastructure bill – current Reuters

Author: Susan Conwell and Richard Cowan

Washington (Reuters)-The U.S. Senate on Thursday prepares to resolve the details of the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill supported by President Joe Biden. After lawmakers voted to promote the measure, the possibility of weekend work is imminent .

Senators and aides said that another vote is expected on Friday to begin a debate on the proposal to rebuild American roads, ports, and bridges, and initiate a process that may last several days, which may include amending the bill or making it pass the opportunity. Shadow amendment.

Both Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell were optimistic about the future prospects of the bill, which was facilitated by Senate negotiators and White House officials and passed a key process with 67 votes. Handicap-32 Wednesday.

Schumer said in the Senate on Thursday: “It needs some stimulus and some deadlines, but everything is getting better.”

McConnell was one of 17 Republicans who voted for the measure, calling it a “focused compromise” and “an important basic government responsibility.”

McConnell said: “I am very happy to see progress in these discussions, and I am very happy to vote to start moving the Senate towards such a large-scale legislative process that should be strong and bipartisan.”

Some amendments are expected to be proposed, including the broadband Internet provisions of the bill, said John Thun, the second Republican in the Senate, but did not provide details.

Thune told reporters that he believes that some Republicans who voted for the measure have not yet pledged to support the final product.

He said, “A lot of it will depend on the score,” or the cost estimate of the bill produced by the Congressional Budget Office. The CBO has not disclosed when it will release its estimates, but it may be postponed until the full text of the bill is published.

The bipartisan measures are a key component of Biden’s larger domestic policy agenda. After the bill is passed, the leaders of the Democratic Party plan to advance a budget “reconciliation” plan of US$3.5 trillion, which is expected to include climate and social spending. Republicans vowed to oppose such efforts.

Schumer said on Thursday that his goal is still to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill and budget resolution before the senator takes a summer vacation, which should begin in the second week of August.

Senator Rob Portman, the chief Republican negotiator for the bipartisan infrastructure plan, said he does not expect any amendments, and if adopted, they will actually threaten to pass.

Portman told reporters after voting on Wednesday: “I haven’t heard of any amendments that will become poison pills. So I think people are interested in getting approval here, even if they didn’t vote for the bill tonight.”

Portman said he hopes to have enough time to make changes so that he can listen to the concerns of members. “We want a strong vote because we need to send it to the House of Representatives like a torpedo, and get strong support from both parties,” he said.

The bill must also be passed in the House of Representatives, where the Democrats have a small majority.