US Senate advances infrastructure bill towards passage
The US Senate voted to advance a $1 trillion infrastructure package on Saturday but remained on a slow path toward passage with two Republicans openly opposing behind-the-scenes efforts to wrap up work on one of President Joe Biden's top priorities.
In a 67-27 vote demonstrating broad support, senators agreed to limit debate on the legislation, the biggest investment in decades in America's roads, bridges, airports and waterways. Eighteen of 50 Senate Republicans voted to move the legislation forward, with Senators John Cornyn and Deb Fischer backing the package for the first time.
But on Saturday evening, progress stalled on an agreement on amendments that could have allowed the Senate to speed up consideration of the legislation.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the Senate would convene at noon ET (1600 GMT) on Sunday to resume consideration of the infrastructure bill. "Hopefully we can come to some agreement tomorrow," he said on the Senate floor.
Without that agreement, the Senate will hold a next procedural vote on Sunday evening, a Senate Democratic aide said.
Republican Senator Bill Hagerty took to the Senate floor to underscore his opposition to expediting the process, saying the legislation would add to the national debt and set the stage for Democrats to move forward with a separate $3.5 trillion spending package which Republicans vehemently oppose.
"There's absolutely no reason for rushing this," Hagerty, a freshman senator who was former President Donald Trump's ambassador to Japan, said in a floor speech. "While I believe in hard infrastructure, I cannot participate in doing it this way."
With the consent of all 100 senators, the chamber could have moved through amendments to passage later on Saturday. Otherwise, passage could take until Monday or Tuesday.
Hagerty, who voted against Saturday's measure, first registered opposition to an expedited path after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said on Thursday the legislation would increase federal budget deficits by $256 billion over 10 years.
The CBO analysis did not include $57 billion in added revenue that senators estimate Washington would collect over the long term from the economic growth benefits of infrastructure projects.
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