US senators on Sunday finalized a historic, trillion-dollar infrastructure proposal that is expected to be approved within days, Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer said.
If passed by Congress and signed into law, the bill would pump historic levels of federal funding into fixing US roads, bridges and waterways, ensuring broadband internet for all Americans and expanding clean energy programs.
A bipartisan group “finished writing the text of the infrastructure bill,” Schumer told the Senate, which met for an extended weekend session in Washington.
“I believe the Senate can process relevant amendments and pass this bill in a matter of days.”
The bill, a cornerstone of President Joe Biden’s sweeping domestic agenda, is about 2,700 pages long and provides for $1 trillion in funding.
The Democratic leader succeeded in rallying a few elected officials from the opposite camp to work on the proposal.
The group released a joint statement saying the goal of the bill was to invest in infrastructure and create jobs without raising taxes.
“This bipartisan bill and our shared commitment to see it across the finish line is further proof that the Senate can work,” the statement said.
The bill would allow the largest-ever federal investments in public transit, as well as drinking and waste water infrastructure; the largest funding of passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak; and the largest investment in bridges since the nation’s highway system was developed.
US congress Photo:VCG
