$1 Trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Clears Last Major Hurdle In Senate By 68-29 Vote

The U.S. Senate voted to advance the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill on Sunday, clearing one of the last steps to finalize the bill.

The vote was 68-29, which easily surpassed the 60-vote hurdle needed to move forward.

The senators had to reconvene on Saturday as they had previously failed to reach an agreement to wrap up the bill until either Thursday night or Friday morning.

Though the Senate has decided to end debate on the bill, when the final vote will occur is still unclear, but could come as early as Monday night.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) said on Saturday that while the Senate has seen some progress thus far, the Republicans want more amendment votes until both party advances to the final vote.

“There are many outstanding amendments that are important that would improve the legislation and deserve votes before the Senate is asked to vote on final passage of the bill,” McConnell said. “The full Senate deserves its full chance to shape this important legislation,” he added. “I hope senators can work together in a bipartisan way to get more amendments up.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) has also warned that the Senate will stay in session until it finishes the bill.

“We can get this done the easy way or the hard way,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “In either case, the Senate will stay in session until we finish our work. It’s up to my Republican colleagues how long it takes.”

Next, the Senate is also likely to advance the process of voting on a budget resolution, a second bill that could allow Democrats to pass up to $3.5 trillion in additional spending without the Republican votes that will focus on climate change, education, health care and child and eldercare.

With budget reconciliation, Democrats pass a bill with a simple 50-vote majority.

Article by Dongyoon Shin