On Monday, members of the bipartisan Group of 22 in the Senate had yet to finalize a deal for the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package. Issues related to water infrastructure, broadband and transit remained unresolved.
Senate Majority Leader Schumer (D-NY) imposed a deadline last week on the group ahead of a vote to move forward with debate on the as-yet unwritten package. The vote failed on party lines, with Republican senators objecting to proceeding to vote without legislative text. Senate negotiators hoped to release legislative text early this week and get a score from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.
Senator Schumer is working to advance both the bipartisan infrastructure bill as well as a $3.5 trillion reconciliation package in order to give President Biden and moderate Democrats a bipartisan win while also funding the vast social spending that the President set forward in his American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan. It is unclear whether there are sufficient votes to pass both pieces of legislation in both chambers. In the House, Speaker Pelosi has made clear that she will not bring up a bipartisan infrastructure package without also bringing up a multi-trillion dollar reconciliation package with other Democratic social spending priorities. Members of the House of Representatives have been told to expect to return during the week of August 16 for votes in the House, potentially a calendar marker for an infrastructure and reconciliation vote.
NRMCA and many of its state affiliates have urged Congress to act on the bipartisan infrastructure framework, joining with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, American Road and Transportation Builders Association, Associated General Contractors and dozens of other groups and coalitions to urge action. Take Action: NRMCA is calling on its members to urge their Members of Congress to support the bipartisan infrastructure framework. While NRMCA and our allies continue to urge Congress to reach and pass a bipartisan infrastructure package, it is imperative that Congress reauthorize surface transportation programs before they expire at the end of September. Click here to take action.
For more information, contact Andrew Tyrrell at atyrrell@nrmca.org.
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