US Congress passes USD 1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill
Nov 06, 2021
Washington [US], November 6 : After months of internal deliberations among the Democrats, Congress has passed a USD 1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill which now heads to President Biden's desk to be signed into law, reported local media.
The final vote was 228-206 in which 13 Republicans voted in support of the bill with the majority of Democrats while six Democrats voted against it, reported CNN.
The bill is now headed to President Biden's desk to be signed into law after hours of internal debates among the Democrats on Friday, reported the news channel.
Senate had passed the legislation in August, however, it was stopped in the House after Democrats tried negotiating a deal on a separate USD 1.9 trillion economic package, a key component of the President's agenda that was tied to the fate of the infrastructure bill.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, going into Friday, said that she intended to vote on the final passage of the infrastructure bill and the economic package called as 'Build Back Better Act', reported CNN.
However, expressing confidence that the two bills would pass on Friday, Pelosi had indicated in the afternoon that they would only move the infrastructure bill if there is pushback that the separate economic bill needs an official cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office, a process that may well take nearly two weeks, according to CNN.
The House moved forward to send the infrastructure bill to Biden's desk despite progressives' warning that they would sink the infrastructure bill if it moved ahead without the separate economic package, reported CNN.
Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal released a statement saying that a deal has been reached with the fellow Democrats to vote on the infrastructure bill on Friday night.
President Biden spoke to the members calling into a meeting of the Progressive Caucus pushing a vote on the infrastructure bill, reported CNN citing the sources familiar with the call.
