WASHINGTON – The Democratic-controlled House on Wednesday approved a $ 1.5 trillion plan to rebuild the nation’s ruined infrastructure, investing hundreds of billions of dollars in projects to repair roads and bridges, improve transit systems , expand interstate railways, and dredge ports, harbors, and canals.
The bill also authorizes more than $ 100 billion to expand Internet access for low-income and rural communities and $ 25 billion to modernize the infrastructure and operations of the United States Postal Service, including a fleet of vehicles. electrical.
Lawmakers passed the Advancement Act by a vote of 233-188, primarily in line with the parties. He now goes to the Republican-controlled Senate, where a much narrower bill passed by a key committee has languished for nearly a year. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, has not attempted to schedule a debate in the courtroom, and neither appears to be available.
The idea of ”Infrastructure Week” in the Trump era has become a longstanding internal joke in Washington because there was little action to show. Still, Wednesday’s vote represented at least a slight sign of momentum for the type of program that has traditionally had bipartisan appeal.
Democrats praised the House bill, which goes far beyond transportation to fund schools, health centers, utilities and affordable housing.
Representative Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and sponsor of the legislation, called it a “transformative investment in American infrastructure that will create millions of jobs.”
Republicans ridiculed the bill for what they called a New Deal-style green approach to climate.
“Rather than seeking bipartisan solutions, this bill adds $ 1.5 trillion to the nation’s debt and disguises a green and unwieldy New Deal regime with new requirements as an ‘infrastructure bill,'” the representative said. Missouri Sam Graves, the leading Republican on The Transportation Panel.
Graves blamed Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats for turning what has traditionally been a bipartisan issue in Congress, infrastructure, into what she called “a partisan wish list.”
Republicans won a rare procedural victory, winning passage of an amendment to block money from the bill aimed at Chinese state-owned companies or companies responsible for building internment camps for the nation’s Uighur minority.
The White House promised a veto if the measure reaches the President’s desk. In a statement this week, the White House said the bill “is heavily biased against rural America,” is based on debt financing, and “does not address the issue of unnecessary permit delays” that have prevented infrastructure projects for a long time.
President Donald Trump has frequently declared his support for infrastructure projects and pledged during the 2016 campaign to spend at least $ 1 trillion to improve infrastructure. Since taking office, Trump has repeatedly called for the enactment of an infrastructure package, but those efforts have not resulted in legislation.
Hopes were dashed last year when Trump said he would not deal with Democrats if they continued to investigate him. The house later charged him.
Trump said after signing a $ 2 trillion coronavirus relief package that the low interest rates made it a good time to borrow money to pay an infrastructure bill. No formal proposal has come up, although the White House has suggested that the next virus response bill could include an infrastructure component.
The centerpiece of House legislation is a nearly $ 500 billion 5-year surface transportation plan for roads, bridges, and railroads. The White House said in its veto threat that the proposal is “heavily biased toward programs that would disproportionately benefit urban areas of the United States.” The bill would divert money from the Highway Trust Fund for transit and rail projects that “have seen a decline in market shares in recent years,” the White House statement said.
Democrats responded that the bill would rebuild the nation’s transportation infrastructure, not only by repairing ruined roads and bridges, but also by investing in public transportation and the national rail network, driving low and zero emission vehicles and reducing pollution. carbon that contributes to climate change.
The bill also authorizes $ 130 billion in school infrastructure targeting high-poverty schools with facilities that jeopardize the health and safety of students and educators, Democrats said. The schools portion alone could create more than 2 million jobs, they said.
The bill would spend more than $ 100 billion to create or preserve at least 1.8 million affordable homes. “These investments will help reduce housing inequality, create jobs and stimulate the overall economy,” Democrats said in a “fact sheet” promoting the bill.
The measure would also improve child care facilities and protect access to clean water by investing $ 25 billion in a state revolving fund that ensures communities have clean drinking water and remove dangerous pollutants from local water systems.
Three Republicans voted in favor of the bill: Representative Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Representatives Jeff Van Drew and Chris Smith, both from New Jersey. Two Democrats opposed: Representatives Collin Peterson of Minnesota and Ben McAdams of Utah.
