U.S. Senate takes up $1 trillion infrastructure bill

[NFA] The U.S. Senate will try to complete work this week on a $1 trillion infrastructure investment bill that would bring long-awaited improvements to roads, bridges and mass-transit systems and deliver a rare bipartisan victory to President Joe Biden.

This report produced by Zachary Goelman.

The Democratic leader of the U.S. Senate on Monday pressed Democrats and Republicans to move forward with a proposed bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure investment bill, eyeing a potential vote by the end of the week.

"Yesterday evening, as everyone knows, a group of bipartisan senators working on infrastructure finished the text of the bill." Democratic leader Chuck Schumer lauded the rare cross-the-aisle cooperation that lay the groundwork for a bill that if enacted would be the largest U.S. infrastructure investment in decades, and deliver a rare bipartisan victory to President Joe Biden.

"The majority will work with the minority to put together packages of amendments for the Senate to vote on." A bipartisan group of Democrats and Republicans worked through the weekend to finalize a 2,700-page draft of the measure, which aims to bring long-awaited improvements to roads, bridges and mass-transit systems. "So I want to thank the senators who worked hard and long to get this effort this far already." The chamber's most powerful Republican, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, offered cautious praise for the effort.

"I believe our colleagues draft text provides a good and important jumping-off point for what needs to be a robust and bipartisan process out here on the floor." In a rare sign of bipartisanship last week, the initiative won early support from enough Republicans to begin debate on the bill.

The bill's passage would clear the way for Democrats, acting without Republican support, to begin work on a budget framework that would sketch out plans for a $3.5 trillion "human infrastructure" bill.

That bill would allot federal dollars toward fighting climate change, help millions of immigrants gain legal protections and fund an expansion of health care.