Sunday, August 8th, 2021
Trump railed against “shame”
US Senate paves way for infrastructure package
Nothing stands in the way of US President Biden’s major investment package for America’s infrastructure. The help of Republican senators was crucial. They are in a quandary on the subject.
US President Joe Biden’s massive infrastructure package worth hundreds of billions of dollars has cleared an important hurdle. The US Senate voted in favor of ending the debate on amendments and starting the final vote on the law. The vote is now expected at the beginning of the week at the latest.
In addition to 49 Democrats, 18 Republicans, including their leader Mitch McConnell, voted for the move. It would have required the approval of at least ten Republican senators. A simple majority of 51 votes is sufficient for the final vote in the Senate.
The law provides for government spending of around 550 billion dollars (around 470 billion euros) for traffic routes, the Internet and projects to deal with the climate crisis. In total, the package is $ 1.2 trillion. A large part of the money is reallocated from other budget items.
Republicans look to midterms
Negotiations on the package have been going on for months. Shortly before the vote, Biden again pleaded for the law to be passed. It represents a “historic, unique investment in our country’s infrastructure,” the president said on Twitter. “We cannot afford not to”. He also sent his deputy, Kamala Harris, to Capitol Hill to solicit support.
After the Senate, the House of Representatives also has to vote on the package. Should the law actually pass both chambers, it would be a great victory for the democratic president, who has made economic recovery and the fight against the devastating consequences of the corona crisis his most important goals.
Biden’s Republican predecessor Donald Trump called the law a “disgrace” on Saturday. It would be difficult for him to “support those who are stupid enough to vote for this agreement,” he said. His position could pose a difficult trade-off for Republicans, who want to run again in the November 2022 congressional elections. Trump is still very popular with supporters of the Republicans – but at the same time, according to the polls, the spending envisaged in the bill is extremely popular with the electorate.
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