A broad-based major infrastructure package is edging closer to a floor vote in the Senate, as the bipartisan group of senators who negotiated the compromise measure on Aug. 2 released the text of the massive legislation and the chamber began voting on amendments.
The measure would provide $550 billion in new federal funds for highways, transit, water, energy and other types of public works. The bill also would continue infrastructure funding levels, bringing the package’s total cost to about $1 trillion, according to published reports.
Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio), the lead Republican in the bipartisan group, said on the Senate floor Aug. 2, “We believe our nation needs a shot in the arm.” He added, “We have enormous infrastructure needs.”
Construction and engineering groups, which have focused eagerly on what is by far the most important infrastructure legislation in years, were delving into the bill’s 2,700 pages to examine what’s in it.
Next Step: Amendments
The Senate began voting on amendments to the legislation, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
但是少数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔（R-Ky。
McConnell said in afloor statement会议厅需要“关于如此规模的立法的强大而两党的修正案”。
He added, “Our full consideration of this bill must not be choked off by any artificial timetable that our Democratic colleagues may have penciled out for political purposes.”
新的授权，信托基金救援
该法案的大部分文本专门用于五项重要的资金授权。其中四个已于今年早些时候得到参议院委员会的批准。他们是：一项3,003亿美元的高速公路措施，一项1亿美元的能源账单；一项780亿美元的高速公路安全轨措施；以及一项耗资350亿美元的饮用水浪费处理法案。水样也已得到全面参议院的批准。
第五部分是700亿美元的运输授权。
此外，该包装还包括对联邦公路和运输计划的五年重新授权。当前的授权将于9月30日到期。
In a key item that wasn't in an earlier outline of the plan, the Senate bill would seek to prevent the Highway Trust Fund from falling into the red, by transferring $118 billion to the trust fund from the general fund.
该套餐还包括5500亿美元的新资金，该资金包含在拨款部分中。但是目前尚不清楚其中的一些总数是否包括公路，过境，铁路，能源和水的授权。这些授权水平比当前数字增加。
Other infrastructure sectors do have one-time appropriations increases under the package, according to a bill summary that predates the text.
They include $20 billion for airport runways, taxiways and terminals; $9.4 billion for Army Corps of Engineers civil works; and $3.9 billion for the General Services Administration for major border stations, or land ports of entry.
Also in the appropriations are: $65 billion for broadband; an additional $22 billion for water; and $46 billion for resilience features for multiple categories of projects.
Of that sum, the trust fund’s highway account would receive $90 billion and its transit account would get the other $28 billion.
Waiting On Deck, the House
If the Senate does approve the huge package, it then would move to the House, which on June 10 approved a $547-billion, multi-sector infrastructure package titled the INVEST in America Act. Among its many provisions, the INVEST bill has a $148-billion general fund infusion for the Highway Trust Fund.
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), the INVEST bill’s prime architect, was critical about the Senate bipartisan group’s infrastructure framework.
But DeFazio has tempered his criticism. He said in a July 30 press briefing that if the Senate does pass a bill, he has a “strong desire” to see a joint House-Senate conference committee convene to reconcile differences between the House and Senate bills.
DeFazio said the INVEST bill meets the objectives set for him by President Joe Biden and the White House and he wants to ensure that those provisions are in the final package.
吉米Christianson)相关的总承包商of America vice president of government relations said in an interview: ”The House gets to play basically spoiler or victor when it comes to this bill.”
Story updated 8/2/2021 to note that Senate started voting on amendments.
