House Passes $715B Bill Laying Out Opening Position On Infrastructure Talks
The public works legislation, passed in a mostly party-line vote, focuses on transportation and water safety initiatives.
The Washington Post:
House Passes $760 Billion Transportation And Water Bill, Making Its Pitch On Infrastructure
The House passed a roughly $760 billion transportation and water infrastructure bill Thursday, a measure that stakes out the chamber’s position in a debate over how to rebuild the nation’s roads, transit networks, water pipes and sewers. The package provides $343 billion for roads, bridges and safety programs, $109 billion for transit agencies and $95 billion for rail. It also includes $117 billion for drinking water programs and $51 billion for wastewater infrastructure. Amendments adopted over two days of debate added at least $44 billion to the bill’s price tag, mostly to support the adoption of electric vehicles. (Duncan and Laris, 7/1)
CNN:
House Passes $715 Billion Transportation And Water Infrastructure Bill
The vote was 221-201 with two Republicans voting with Democrats in favor. House Democrats say the bill -- known as the INVEST in America Act -- will deliver on key priorities in President Joe Biden's American Jobs Plan, and they hope the legislative text can be used to negotiate with the Senate and the White House to determine what specific policy proposals can be included as part of the recently announced bipartisan infrastructure framework. (Foran, 7/1)
The New York Times:
House, Setting A Marker For Talks, Passes $715 Billion Infrastructure Bill
Democratic leaders see the bill as a baseline for talks with the Senate aimed at producing the largest investment in infrastructure since Dwight D. Eisenhower began the interstate highway system. The House measure, which would authorize a 50-percent increase over current spending levels, passed by a vote of 221-201, largely along party lines, a break from past infrastructure bills and a mark of how polarized Congress has become. It would devote $343 billion to roads, bridges and safety. Its $109 billion for transit would increase federal spending by 140 percent. An investment of $168 billion in funds for wastewater and drinking water includes a new program to forgive the unpaid water bills of Americans struggling through the pandemic, and then to help pay bills in the future, much as the government helps pay home heating and air conditioning costs. (Weisman, 7/1)
In other news from Capitol Hill —
Politico:
CBO Projects $3T Budget Gap This Year Thanks To Pandemic
The federal budget gap will widen to $3 trillion this year, nearly triple the shortfall recorded just two years ago as the pandemic continues to grow the deficit, the Congressional Budget Office said in its latest 10-year projections released Thursday. The shortfall is significantly wider compared with earlier projections, due to enactment of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package which Democrats approved in March without Republican support. (Emma, 7/1)
Roll Call:
GOP Anti-Abortion Riders In Foreign Aid Bill Fall Short
After several hours of debate and votes on 10 amendments, House Appropriators on Thursday advanced to the floor annual foreign aid spending legislation that would make history with its repeal of a decades-old anti-abortion provision and significant increases in family planning funding. That’s if the language can survive contentious negotiations in the Senate where lawmakers who support abortion rights will need to contend with the Republican filibuster, which could lead to the watering down of the abortion access provisions that House Democrats are proudly championing this budget cycle. (Oswald, 7/1)
