Schumer Pushes Bipartisan Bill Vote So Senate Can Move To $3.5T Budget Plan
The Senate is scheduled to vote today on a bipartisan bill to improve the nation's roads, bridges and other infrastructure. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is holding the bill on a tight time frame because he is trying to get another big initiative, the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation with a number of major health programs, through the Senate this summer.
The Washington Post:
Infrastructure Deadline Could Slip In Senate
A bipartisan Senate deal to improve the nation’s infrastructure again appeared in political peril Tuesday as Republican negotiators demanded a delay on an upcoming vote on the proposal until next week. With Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) refusing to bend, GOP senators indicated that they plan to oppose a vote to begin debate on the deal they helped craft. (Romm, DeBonis and Kim, 7/20)
Politico:
Senate Infrastructure Talks May Stretch Into Next Week As Failed Vote Looms
Schumer’s push to move forward on the bipartisan infrastructure framework comes as Senate Democrats also prepare a $3.5 trillion social spending plan that they expect to wrestle through without GOP buy-in. Schumer has also set a Wednesday deadline for Senate Democrats to reach an agreement detailing how committees will construct that bill. It’s not clear if the failure of the bipartisan deal would force an increase in the separate bill's $3.5 trillion price tag. (Levine and Everett, 7/20)
The Hill:
Schumer Feels Pressure From All Sides On Spending Strategy
Democrats have been pursuing a two-track infrastructure strategy, trying to reach an agreement on a smaller bipartisan deal and Democratic unity on a second, larger bill that will include a host of other priorities for the party and Biden. The balancing act is made more complex because support for the bipartisan bill is tied up with Democrats’ plans for the second $3.5 trillion plan, which is to be passed under budget reconciliation rules — the process to avoid a GOP filibuster. (Carney, 7/20)
Politico:
Inside Schumer's Infrastructure Gamble
Shortly before Chuck Schumer cued up a vote on the staggering bipartisan infrastructure agreement reached by five of his centrists, he gathered them all in person for a gut check. The Senate majority leader wanted to explain his thinking in greater detail to the Democrats who’ve labored to cut a nearly $600 billion deal with Republicans, according to two sources familiar with the meeting. He needed to make sure everyone in his tight-knit 50-member caucus was behind him before taking a gamble that could endanger the bipartisan talks he’s spent weeks supporting. (Everett and Levine, 7/20)
