Yes, I think it’s a compelling framework, which says that we should focus on core infrastructure. You mentioned that there’s a lot of people that agree on what core infrastructure is, but are you confident that will translate to the votes you need for this deal? The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Biden this year on a virus relief bill, why he trusts the president now and why he thinks Republicans should support the bipartisan infrastructure deal even though they oppose the much bigger spending bill Democrats plan to jam through. Portman spoke recently with The New York Times about his early, negative experience working with Mr. With five Republicans publicly on board with the compromise, at least five more would need to join all 50 Democrats for the measure to have the 60 votes necessary to advance in the Senate. Portman and his colleagues to write the bill, set to provide nearly $600 billion in new federal spending, and shepherd it through the narrowly divided and deeply polarized House and Senate to Mr. Senator Rob Portman, Republican of Ohio and a three-decade veteran of Washington, helped lead the bipartisan negotiations that produced an infrastructure deal that has been endorsed by President Biden. Schumer wants the Senate to hold a vote on a budget resolution mapping out the reconciliation spending before the Senate leaves town. Those differences will have to be resolved quickly. Senator Bernie Sanders, the Vermont progressive who is chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, is pushing for up to $6 trillion in spending, and told The New York Times last week that a proposal by moderates to spend one-third of that or less was “much too low.” But that means the party will most likely have no votes to spare in the Senate, and its moderate and progressive wings will have to reach agreement on what to include and how much to spend. Democrats are prepared to pass it using a budget maneuver known as reconciliation that would allow them to get around a Republican filibuster. Work on the other legislative package, which Republicans have signaled they will oppose, is progressing more slowly. It remains to be seen if he can consolidate the votes needed to pass it.
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Schumer has said he expects a vote by the full Senate before leaving in August.
Key Senate committees are expected to begin moving parts of that bill this week, and Mr. One or both bills could stall or fall apart as Democratic leaders try to placate both a group of moderate Republicans and Democrats who struck a rare bipartisan agreement on traditional infrastructure spending, as well as their more progressive Democratic members, who are pushing for a more ambitious package focused on education, child care, taxes, health care and the environment.Īfter reaching an agreement to spend $579 billion in new money on infrastructure projects last month, the bipartisan group of senators spent much of the extended July 4 recess turning their framework into real legislation that they believe can win 60 votes in the Senate and pass the Democratic-led House. “I was on the phone all weekend talking to all kinds of different people and legislators about moving forward on those tracks, as well as with the White House and the president, and we’re moving forward.”īut given the sheer ambition of the legislation - the two bills together could spend $3 trillion or much more - and Democrats’ narrow majorities in both the House and Senate, the task will not be easy.
“We are proceeding on both tracks very well,” Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, said on Sunday. If successful, the July sprint would set up Congress to pass both bills into law when it returns to work in September. Their goal is to simultaneously advance two hulking bills before the summer break: a bipartisan investment in roads, bridges, high-speed internet and other infrastructure projects and a far larger and more partisan package that would include tax increases on corporations and the rich to fund an expansion of the social safety net and programs to fight climate change. The House does not return until next week, but will face a similar time crunch when it does. The Senate returned to Washington on Monday after a two-week recess facing a pile of complicated legislative work and key deadlines looming in the push to enact President Biden’s far-reaching economic agenda.ĭemocratic leaders have mapped out a monthlong sprint for senators, warning them to prepare for late nights, weekend work and even the cancellation of part of their beloved August recess to set up final passage of their priorities in the fall.
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