Politico | US bipartisan infrastructure deal sails through first Senate vote
- The chamber voted to move forward on Wednesday night after negotiators came to an agreement on key issues
- The development marks a major win for Biden, though final passage of the legislation remains uncertain
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Marianne Levine and Burgess Everett on politico.com on July 28, 2021.
Though the legislation is still unfinished and failed just a week ago, more than a dozen Republicans took the plunge and voted to break an initial filibuster on the bill. Among them was Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has previously said “100 per cent” of his focus was on standing up to Biden’s agenda.
But even as the Senate agreed to begin considering the bipartisan framework, final passage remains uncertain. Republicans will demand amendment votes and input on the bill, and it will once again face a 60-vote hurdle to close debate. The Senate may even work through the weekend to make progress on the proposal and its US$550 billion in new spending as August recess approaches.
“I want to commend the group of senators who worked with President Biden,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer after the vote. “My goal remains to pass both the bipartisan infrastructure bill and a budget resolution this work period. Both. It might take some long nights, it might eat into our weekends, but we are going to get the job done. And we are on track.”