U.S. House passes Infrastructure Investment and Jobs bill
The logjam that had delayed passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill for months dissolved last night as the U.S. House voted 228 to 206 to concur with the Senate and send the measure to President Biden for final approval.
The logjam broke when six moderate-to-conservative Democrats threatened to withhold their votes on the bill until a nonpartisan analysis of the so-called Build Back Better plan touted by Biden could be completed. Seemingly weary of another delay in moving his agenda forward, Biden implored lawmakers to put the infrastructure measure up for a vote immediately.
The bill drew support of 13 Republicans. While few in number, it nonetheless qualifies to be described as bipartisan, as it was when it passed in the Senate in early August.
The infrastructure bill includes $550 billion in new investments and is the largest U.S. public works bill ever. It will upgrade the nation’s roads, bridges, pipes, ports, broadband, and other public works. It is expected to create several hundred thousand jobs by 2025.
The bill passed in the Senate in August and immediately was linked to the social policy measure. The social policy bill has no Republican support and is to be considered under rules that will make it exempt from a Senate filibuster, a mechanism that enables a minority to block legislation.
The analysis of the social policy bill is expected to take at least a week and possibly will not be considered until after Thanksgiving.
This PDF (click HERE) shows what Pennsylvania will receive from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs bill compared with the FAST Act.
