A $1 trillion infrastructure package that is a top priority for U.S. President Joe Biden secured enough votes to pass in the Senate on Tuesday, a bipartisan victory for the White House as it aims to provide the nation's biggest investment in decades in roads, bridges, airports and waterways.
This report produced by Chris Dignam.
KAMALA HARRIS: "On this vote, the yeas are 69, the nays are 30.
The bill as amended is passed." Vice President Kamala Harris announced a $1 trillion victory for the Biden administration on Tuesday, as she presided over the Senate's bipartisan vote to pass the largest infrastructure bill in decades, which, if enacted, will spur years of investments in roads, bridges and improved internet access.
ROB PORTMAN: "To me, not only does this investment make sense but, importantly, what we're doing here today also demonstrates to the American people that we can get our act together." Senator Rob Portman, the lead Republican negotiator of the infrastructure deal, hailed it as a bipartisan success as 19 Republicans voted to approve the bill.
BIDEN: "This bill shows that we can work together." President Joe Biden celebrated the bill's passage and urged Congress to send it to his desk as soon as possible.
CHUCK SCHUMER: "And now we proceed to the second track." But Biden wasn't likely to sign the bill into law any time soon, as Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer kicked off debate on a much larger budget plan totaling $3.5 trillion to address climate change and boost healthcare and social spending.
The plan is resoundingly opposed by Republicans and therefore one that Democrats will almost certainly have to pass with a simple majority in a maneuver known as "reconciliation." GARY PETERS: "The yeas are 50.
The nays are 49.
The motion is agreed to." In a show of how quickly bipartisanship can evaporate, the evenly divided Senate voted narrowly to open debate on the $3.5 trillion budget plan.
No Republicans voted in favor of it.
Democrats won't begin crafting the budget reconciliation package for a vote until after they return from their summer break in September.
And Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said repeatedly that the House of Representatives won't take up the infrastructure bill until she also receives the larger budget package, meaning that months of work remains before Tuesday's bipartisan bill gets to Biden's desk.
Hours after the U.S. Senate approved a $3.5 trillion budget blueprint chock-full of investments in new domestic programs, new..
After months of negotiations, the Senate has passed a bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.
