A bipartisan group of 20 senators, including ten Republicans, announced their support for a compromise framework on infrastructure on Wednesday.
Details of the framework were not immediately available, although the cost of the potential bill would be $1.2 trillion over eight years, according to CNN. The backing of ten GOP senators could give the potential bill a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, if all 50 Democrats vote in favor.
“We support this bipartisan framework that provides an historic investment in our nation’s core infrastructure needs without raising taxes,” the group said in a statement. “We look forward to working with our Republican and Democratic colleagues to develop legislation based on this framework to address America’s critical infrastructure challenges.”
Twenty senators from both parties announce support for $1.2T, eight-year bipartisan infrastructure outline pic.twitter.com/0aTxnBGwzM
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) June 16, 2021
President Biden initially proposed a $2 trillion infrastructure plan that includes funding for bridges, roads, and railways, and a national network of charging stations for electric vehicles, among other provisions.
Republicans have attempted to lower the price tag on the bill and have insisted that legislation not include tax increases. Additionally, the GOP senators have strived to keep former President Trump’s 2017 tax reform measures in place.
Democrats have explored options for passing an infrastructure bill via budget reconciliation rules, which allow certain pieces of legislation to pass the Senate via a simple majority vote instead of a filibuster-proof 60 votes. However, Senator Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) cautioned against using budget reconciliation to pass an infrastructure bill in comments to NBC earlier this month.
“Are you ready to go it alone with just Democrats?” reporter Garrett Haake asked Manchin.
“No. I don’t think we should. I really don’t,” Manchin responded. “Right now, basically, we need to be bipartisan.”
Send a tip to the news team at NR.