The Senate voted 67-32 on Wednesday evening to open formal debate on a bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure proposal.
It took several months for the group of negotiators to reach a deal on the package to fix aging bridges, roads, pipes, and ports across the United States and improve internet connections in rural areas. Seventeen Republicans joined Democrats to vote in favor of starting debate on infrastructure reform this week, and now, the legislation must be drafted.
President Biden has been pushing for an infrastructure bill, and in the spring put forward a $2 trillion plan that was rejected by Republicans. Speaking to reporters Wednesday in Pennsylvania, Biden said he feels "confident" about this new bipartisan proposal, and later tweeted that this "historic" deal is "the largest infrastructure bill in a century. It will grow the economy, create good-paying jobs, and set America on a path to win the future."
The proposal includes $40 billion for bridges, $39 billion to modernize transit, and $55 billion for water infrastructure — enough to replace every lead pipe in the U.S., the Biden administration said.