Senate Advances Biden’s $1.2T Infrastructure Package With 18 GOP Votes; Despite CBO Analysis that the Bill Would Add $256 BILLION to the Deficit, SEE THE NAMES WHO VOTED, and related stories

By admin On Aug 7, 2021

Senate advances Biden’s $1.2T infrastructure package with 18 GOP votes:

The Senate moved to advance President Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure package on Saturday, clearing a key procedural hurdle to end debate and clear the bill.

The 67 – 23 vote to invoke cloture beat back GOP efforts to filibuster the bill. A total of 18 Republicans voted with every Democrat to advance the bipartisan measure.

The vote takes the bill one step closer to final passage which could come as early as Saturday afternoon — though more likely Sunday or Monday

“I would say not today. They’re all still horsetrading. There are still amendments to be worked out. People are still submitting amendments,” said one Senate insider intimately involved in the negotiations.

“Republicans, even the ones who don’t want to support the bill, are very interested in working on the legislation and that’s what they’re doing,” the insider continued. “A lot of Republicans who didn’t vote for this bill will be touting the things that it does in their own local media markets.” —>READ MORE HERE

Infrastructure bill will add $256 billion to deficit, government analysts say

The bipartisan infrastructure legislation poised for a vote in the Senate this week would add $256 billion to the deficit over the next decade, congressional budget analysts announced Thursday, dashing hopes that provisions in the bill would fully pay for it.

The news will not come as a surprise to lawmakers skeptical of offsets included in the $1.2 trillion measure, but it immediately reinforced opposition from Republicans who opposed much of the spending and policy riders in the bill.

Sen. Steve Daines, a Montana Republican, cited the debt projection by the Congressional Budget Office Thursday in his opposition to the measure.

“This is absolutely unacceptable, especially at a time when Montana families are already dealing with soaring inflation and skyrocketing prices on everything from gas to groceries,” Daines said. —>READ MORE HERE