Bipartisan Group of Senators to Meet with Biden on ‘Breakthrough’ Infrastructure Agreement
A concrete pump frames the Capitol Dome during renovations and repairs to Lower Senate Park, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, May 18, 2021. President Joe Biden hopes to pass a massive national infrastructure plan by this summer. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
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Lawmakers announced Wednesday night they had reached an agreement on the framework of an infrastructure plan and will present the proposal to President Biden on Thursday.
A bipartisan group of senators announced an agreement on the framework for an infrastructure proposal, which they are expected to present to President Biden on Thursday.
The group of 10 Democrats and 11 Republicans emerged from hours-long negotiations Wednesday night to say they had agreed to a framework for the nearly $1 trillion proposal.
"We agreed on a framework and were going to be heading to the White House tomorrow," Sen. Mitt Romney, a Utah Republican, told reporters on Wednesday night.
Earlier drafts of the proposal include $579 billion in new spending. Overall spending would total $973 billion over five years and $1.2 trillion if extended to eight years.
“I’m optimistic that we’ve had a breakthrough," said Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden administration officials had “productive” meetings with lawmakers.
“The group made progress towards an outline of a potential agreement, and the President has invited the group to come to the White House,” she said in a statement issued Wednesday night.
The package is expected to include funding for improvements to transportation infrastructure such as roads, bridges, public transit, airports, ports and electric vehicle fleets. It would also include funding for power grids, broadband and water systems, but would exclude large investments in affordable housing and workforce development—areas included in President Biden’s initial $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan.
Neither Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer nor House Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorsed the negotiated plan outright, saying they will wait to see the full details of the proposal.
“We’ll let them announce it first, but let's see,” said Schumer, joined by Pelosi as the two made brief remarks about the negotiations. “But we support the concepts we have heard about.”
Andrea Noble is a staff correspondent with Route Fifty.
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