Those of us who turned in early last night awoke to the happy news that the U.S. House concurred with the Senate’s bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure funding measure and sent it to President Biden for final approval.
The vote was 228 to 206. Six Democrats opposed the measure, while 13 Republicans supported it. Pennsylvania Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick was one of the 13 Republicans voting for the bill.
The vote came after months of drama and brinksmanship that saw the infrastructure bill held hostage by a wing of the Democratic Party that is pushing for a social safety net package. The logjam broke when a half-dozen moderate-to-conservative Democrats said they would withhold their votes on the infrastructure bill, pending a nonpartisan analysis of the cost of the social policy legislation.
The bipartisan measure, called the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs bill, includes $550 billion in new investments. All told, 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 shows what Pennsylvania will receive from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs bill compared with the FAST Act.
Have a great weekend.
Be of Good Cheer
— The Wolff