Infrastructure bill is blocked
Democratic leader Schumer forces a vote to speed up talks. 11 Republicans promise to back complete bill.
The GOP move in the Senate may amount to only a delay as negotiators work on a bipartisan plan.
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans blocked Democrats’ attempt to start formal debate on a bipartisan infrastructure plan Wednesday, arguing that Democrats are rushing the procedural vote before the final bill has been written.
The Senate voted 49 to 51, failing to reach the 60 votes needed to proceed.
But the move may amount to only a short delay for President Biden’s infrastructure plan, as at least 11 Republicans said they would support the vote if it came up again Monday, when an agreement on the final details of the bill is expected.
Talks are expected to continue.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (DN.Y.) forced the vote to speed up negotiations, which have dragged on since Biden and a bipartisan group of senators reached a tentative agreement nearly
a month ago.
“Today we’re not going to be able to support moving forward,” Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) said Wednesday morning on CNBC. “We just want time to get it right. It’s too important for us to rush a vote for an arbitrary deadline.”
Negotiations appear to be moving ahead, if not as fast as Schumer would like. Portman said Wednesday afternoon that 11 Republicans had given Schumer a letter stating their commitment to support a final deal when it is ready.
Sen. Mark R. Warner (DVa.), a leader in the negotiations, expressed confidence that the group was nearing an agreement that would get support.
“I feel very good about where we are and where we’re headed,” he said.
The senators working on the bill — 10 Republicans and 12 Democrats — released a statement indicating the bill would be finalized and approved soon.
“We have made significant progress and are close to a final agreement,” they said. “We will continue working hard to ensure we get this critical legislation right — and are optimistic that we will finalize, and be prepared to advance, this historic bipartisan proposal to strengthen America’s infrastructure and create goodpaying jobs in the coming days.”
Wednesday’s vote fell along party lines, though Schumer joined Republicans in voting against moving forward due to arcane Senate rules that make it easier for him to call up a repeat vote after voting no.
If Democrats succeed Monday, the vote will mark the start of formal Senate consideration of the first piece of Biden’s Build Back Better plan, a $4.1-trillion infrastructure proposal to build roads, water pipes and broadband internet networks as well as reshape the nation’s social safety net.
Democrats are trying to enact the plan in two parts. The bipartisan plan, which amounts to $579 billion in new spending and nearly $1.2 trillion overall, would invest in the so-called hard infrastructure projects.
They hope to approve about $3.5 trillion for the rest of Biden’s plan under a procedure that doesn’t allow for a GOP filibuster.
This part of the plan includes an ambitious list of new and expanded social programs, such as child and elder care and enhanced Medicare benefits. With Republicans opposing these programs, Democrats must rely solely on their own caucus for the votes.
Schumer’s attempt to speed things up aggravated some Republicans; several GOP negotiators said it was not right to hold a vote on an incomplete bill. But Schumer is leery of letting the deal simmer. “They’ve been working on this bipartisan framework for more than a month already,” he said Tuesday, “and it’s time to begin the debate.”
The bipartisan group and White House aides have been huddling in recent weeks to flesh out the plan’s details. One method of paying for about $100 billion of the bill — having the IRS better enforce tax laws — was scrapped amid GOP opposition.
Biden paid a visit to Portman’s home state of Ohio on Wednesday evening to pitch the infrastructure plan at a town hall in Cincinnati.
The president was put on the defensive at times about rising numbers of coronavirus cases and his opposition to abandoning the Senate’s filibuster to pass voting rights legislation.
But he noted that his efforts at bipartisanship could soon bear fruit in infrastructure talks, and defended his focus on jobs when an audience member worried that inflation would continue to rise. He said experts had assured him higher inflation is temporary and should subside as the economy continues to rebound from the pandemic.