Following a daylong drama that pitted moderate Democrats against progressives, the House of Representatives passed a $1 trillion bill on Friday night to rebuild the country’s aging public works system, fund new climate resilience initiatives and expand access to high-speed internet service.
The infrastructure bill was passed in a 228-206 vote in the Democratic-led House of Representatives late on Friday night, which was supported by 10 Republicans. Though proposed by Biden, the measure passed in the Senate in August with bipartisan support.
US President Joe Biden on Saturday hailed the passage of his ambitious infrastructure plan as a “monumental step forward for the nation”.
“I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to suggest that we took a monumental step forward as a nation,” Biden said on Saturday at the White House. “We did something long overdue, that has long been talked about in Washington, but never actually done.”
For Biden, passage of the infrastructure bill fulfilled a marquee legislative goal that he had promised to deliver since the early days of his presidency: the largest single investment of federal resources into infrastructure projects in more than a decade, including a substantial effort to fortify the nation’s response to the warming of the planet.
On Friday, Biden pleaded with liberals to end their months long blockade and send him the public works measure immediately without passage of their priority, the social safety net measure. He backed the passage of a rule for debating the social policy bill, called the Build Back Better Act, as a tangible sign that it, too, would soon pass.
“He urged us to trust him,” said Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., “but not blindly.”
At 9 p.m., Biden made that plea public: “I am urging all members to vote for both the rule for consideration of the Build Back Better Act and final passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill tonight,” he wrote. “I am confident that during the week of Nov. 15, the House will pass the Build Back Better Act.”
Under the infrastructure bill, the US will spend approximately $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years to replace all lead water supply pipes in the country; extend high-speed internet network; rebuild and repair roads and bridges; modernise the public transport system, passenger rail, and airports; build a network of charging stations for electric cars; upgrade the power infrastructure and secure the infrastructure against cyberattacks and climate change.
“This is a blue collar blueprint to rebuild America, and it’s long overdue,” he added during his speech at the White House.
