$1.2 tn bipartisan infrastructure bill approval a win for Biden

Washington: The US Senate has approved a long-awaited infrastructure bill, after months of strenuous negotiations between Democrats and Republicans. In a rare stroke of bipartisanship, more than a dozen Republicans joined Democrats to back the legislation. The final vote was 69-30, comfortably surpassing the 60-vote threshold required for most legislation in the 100-seat upper chamber.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor before the vote that this is a “decades overdue” step to revitalize the country’s crumbling infrastructure, calling it the “most robust injection of funds” into infrastructure in decades.

In late March, US President Joe Biden unveiled a roughly $2-trillion infrastructure plan, but it was criticized by Republicans, who argued it’s not targeted on infrastructure and costs too much.

After months of negotiations, a bipartisan group of senators reached an agreement on a $1.2-trillion infrastructure bill, which includes 550 billion dollars in new spending on infrastructure projects, such as roads, bridges, passenger rails, drinking water and wastewater systems. The rest of the package involves previously approved spending.

With the Senate split 50-50, Democrats must keep moderates — who could oppose elements of the agenda — on their side, allowing Vice President Kamala Harris to cast the deciding vote.

The goal is for congressional committees to write legislation by September 15, before the House returns from its August recess.

Image courtesy of (Courtesy, Indian Express)

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