Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Photo: Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images
Amid the criticism of the former president Donald trump and from some Republican voices in the Senate who seek to stop their advance, $ 1.2 trillion infrastructure plan bill garnered surprise bipartisan support and is shaping up for approval no later than Tuesday.
This Sunday, the senators will have to debate more details of the proposal before integrating the final version that will be voted in the plenary session of the Upper House.
“The Senate has voted to push through the bipartisan infrastructure bill and end the debate on the replacement amendment,” said the Majority Leader, Chuck schumer (New York) this Sunday.
Schumer added that his party colleagues are open to discuss other amendments to fine-tune the project, one of the president’s most important. Joe biden.
“Democrats are ready and willing to vote on additional amendments to the bill before moving to final approval,” he said. “That will require the cooperation of our Republican colleagues. I hope they cooperate so that we can move forward more quickly. ”
The Democratic leader acknowledged that some Republicans seem willing to block the project supported by 18 of his colleagues, who joined 49 Democratic votes to advance.
“Yesterday I said we could do this the easy way or the hard way,” he said. “It seemed like some Republicans would like the Senate to do this the hard way. In any case, we will continue to advance until we end this law. “
So far, the only Republican who has raised his voice firmly is Bill Hagerty (Tennessee), based on an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which projected that the bill could not cover the funds considered, adding a quarter of a trillion dollars to the country’s deficit.
Although Hagerty presses, the approval of the replacement amendment allows the 2,700-page project to hold a discussion of at least 30 hours, that is, if that period is fulfilled, its approval would be Tuesday at the latest.
The minority leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell (Kentucky) acknowledged Saturday that there were differences between Democrats and Republicans, but that the infrastructure bill was necessary for the country.
“Republicans and Democrats have radically different views these daysBut both visions include a physical infrastructure that works for all of our citizens, ”defended McConnell. “The investments that this bill will make are not only necessary … Our country has real needs.”
Trump prepares “revenge”
Former President Trump expressed his disagreement with the infrastructure plan and threatened not to support Republican senators who back the bill in the 2022 elections.
“Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill will be used against the Republican Party in the upcoming elections of 2022 and 2024,” the former president said in a statement. “It will be very difficult for me to endorse someone foolish enough to vote in favor of this agreement.”.
Former President Trump also lashed out at McConnell, one of 18 Republicans who helped advance the multi-year economic plan on Saturday.
“If Mitch McConnell were smart, of which we have not seen evidence, he would use the debt limit letter to negotiate a good infrastructure package,” Trump considered.
A historical project
The infrastructure bill is one of the most ambitious in several years in the US Its scope is compared to the creation of the Amtrak transportation system.
Investments include $ 66 billion to railways; $ 55 billion to fund lead-containing water pipe replacement in the country, in addition to $ 65.00 million to expand broadband Internet access.
The White House has defended the plan that it believes will help the most unprotected communities, such as Latinos, due to lack of connection in transport and services, as well as the effects of climate change, something that the project intends to address.
“Black, Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander and Native communities are more likely to be affected by pollution,” he said. “More than one in three, or more than 23 million, Latinos in the US live in counties where the air does not meet public health standards.”