Senators Push to Wrap Up Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill This Week

Senators wrapped up the construction of a roughly $1 trillion infrastructure bill, racing to pass it through the chamber by the end of the week and send it to the House, where its fate is intertwined with a $3.5 trillion package of Democratic priorities.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) kept the Senate open through the weekend in a bid to begin considerations of the bipartisan infrastructure package, $550 billion of which is in addition to expected future federal investments in roads, bridges, broadband, and other infrastructure projects. But lawmakers took much of the weekend to complete the text of the bill, finishing the final text Sunday night. Completion of the text will allow lawmakers to begin the amendment process and move to final passage in the coming days.

“My hope is we’ll finish the bill by the end of the week,” Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine), one of the 10 senators who negotiated the core of the agreement with the White House, said on CNN’s “State of the Union.

Mr. Schumer said in floor remarks Sunday night that the bill should move through the chamber quickly. “Given how bipartisan the bill is, and how much work has already been put in to get the details right, I believe the Senate can quickly process relevant amendments and pass this bill in a matter of days,” he said.

The text of the bill will translate into law the agreement lawmakers struck days ago, which provides $110 billion to bridges and roads, $39 billion to public transit, and $65 billion for expanding access to broadband, among other investments beyond currently projected spending. Repurposed federal funds, money recouped from delaying a Trump-era Medicare rebate rule, and a mix of accounting maneuvers will cover the cost of legislation.