Infrastructure Bill: Read It For Yourself
Now, let’s be adults here: at 2702 pages no one — especially the congress critters that are going to be voting on it — has read this infrastructure bill. But fear not! Through the magic of PDF it is searchable!
Now that the text is complete, Schumer submitted it as the substitute amendment, making it the base of the bipartisan infrastructure bill. This allows the Senate to begin on what could be a days-long amendment process. Schumer said on the floor that given “how bipartisan the bill is,” he believes “the Senate can quickly process relevant amendments and pass this bill in a matter of days.”
After announcing that the bipartisan infrastructure bill text had been finalized, Schumer touted the group’s efforts, saying that “these days it isn’t easy to do major bills in the Senate, especially bipartisan ones.”
“It’s been decades, decades since Congress passed such a significant standalone investment and I salute the hard work that was done here by everybody,” he added.
More than half of the bill — $550 billion — includes new federal funding to be spent over five years. It invests $73 billion to rebuild the electric grid, $66 billion in passenger and freight rail, $65 billion to expand broadband Internet access, $55 billion for water infrastructure, $40 billion to fix bridges, $39 billion to modernize public transit like buses and $7.5 billion to create the first federal network of charging stations for electric vehicles.
Schumer also reiterated his two-track strategy goal to pass both the bipartisan infrastructure bill and a budget resolution before the August recess.
“A bipartisan infrastructure bill is definitely necessary, but to many of us it is not sufficient,” he said in his floor remarks. “That’s why soon after this bill passes, the Senate Democrats will press forward with a budget resolution to allow the Senate to make further historic vitally important investments.”
Members of the bipartisan group spoke on the Senate floor ahead of the anticipated announcement Sunday night.
“We know that this has been a long and sometimes difficult process, but we are proud this evening to announce this legislation,” said Arizona Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a lead negotiator.
“This process of starting from the center out has worked,” added Sen. Rob Portman, a Republican from Ohio and another key negotiator.
The group has been working on this legislation for months, with a deal finally reached on the major issues between Democrats and Republicans on a $1.2 trillion infrastructure proposal last week.
Read the Infrastructure Bill for yourself here:
infrastructure bill
Be right back…
…oh dear.Report
[ctrl-f] West Virginia
Results (1)
hmmn, looks like congress is on to us gang.Report
We’re not caffeinated enough to understand that one friend.
But if you are just looking for references to specific states (and thus how much they may get as a lever to move votes), you won’t find much. Designated earmarks went away in 2011, not yet to return, so any funds that might be moved to a recalcitrant Democratic Senator’s state will have to be applied for in the general plus ups that would be enacted. Congressional offices are still free to “clarify” to the agencies how that expect those funds to be delivered however.Report
“so any funds that might be moved to a recalcitrant Democratic Senator’s state will have to be applied for in the general plus ups that would be enacted.”
That’s what I said.Report
I’m still not believing the thing will actually happen. It seems beyond believability watching the process toddle along on like a newborn giraffe wobbling with its overlong legs along the knifes edge of a 50 Senator majority.Report
3 LifeAndDeath priorities higher than extending rental amnesty.
This administration is significantly more of a failure than George W. Bush’s “Let’s just give money to Halliburton” administrationReport