A bipartisan coalition of senators has been pushing for a $1 trillion infrastructure plan which is about to be rolled out after months of negotiations. There have been continuing discussions between the Republicans and the Democrats, where the proposal has been tweaked to include $550 billion in new spending.
This expenditure would help improve the roads and bridges of the country, as well as bolster public transportation while expanding high-speed internet access. The spending would also look at replacing lead pipes while modernizing the power grid of the country.
Infrastructure Plan Could Signify a Change in Government Policies
The infrastructure plan does represent the first card of a forked strategy to pass the infrastructure agenda which would indicate the change the government has made to its role in the economy of the country. Both the congressional Democrats and President Biden have split the entire plan into two different parts- one would include a bipartisan bill that is strictly focusing on the physical infrastructure that should garner the support of around 10 senators from the Republican end.
The second part will involve a large bill that would be centered on everything the President considers ‘human infrastructure’. This would allow Democrats to pass their own using a provision that would allow legislation that is strictly budget-focused to advance with a far simple majority.
Now, since a deal has already been struck on the first bill of the infrastructure plan, most of the attention will be shifted to the debate that would focus on the content and size of the second bill. Back in July, Democrats had put up an outline for a sum of $3.5 trillion which would be spent towards health care, higher education, and childcare. This bill, it has been assumed, would be needing the support of around 50 senate Democrats.
With the Presidential legacy being a major part of Biden’s infrastructure plan, several political analysts have argued that the progressives would have the leverage to stand tall.
