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July 12, 2021

Washington Continues Back And Forth On Infrastructure

Over the last week, Americans have learned more about what is in the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill negotiated by U.S. senators and White House officials, and additional lawmakers have added their support to the effort. (As Connecting the Dots  reported two weeks ago, President Joe Biden has agreed to this outline.) And, to help carry the message that infrastructure investment must be bipartisan, MSCI has joined the Coalition Supporting Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment. Learn more about the coalition here.

According to The Hill, in addition to funding for environmental priorities like electrical vehicles, the draft legislation would get rid of all of the country’s lead pipes and service lines. Specifically, a White House National Economic Council memo said the bipartisan framework “will replace 100 percent of the nation’s lead pipes and service lines.” The White House outlined the contents of the bill here.

After the 4th of July holiday, several additional lawmakers announced their support for the outline. Last Tuesday, the House Problems Solvers Caucus, which includes 29 House Democrats and 29 House Republicans, released a statement endorsing the plan and calling for the House to vote on it. The lawmakers said, “In light of the bipartisan, bicameral genesis of the framework, we encourage an expeditious, stand-alone vote in the House and thank our bipartisan Senate partners and the Biden Administration for working so closely with us to demonstrate that cooperation is still possible in Washington.” Also last week: Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) became the 22nd senator to support the agreement.

Roadblocks still remain, however. For example, it is still unclear how U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) feels about the bipartisan deal. He did warn President Joe Biden not to let House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) “hold a bipartisan bill hostage” to Democrats’ plan to pass a reconciliation bill that would spend anywhere from $4 trillion to $6 trillion on non-infrastructure priorities. According to The Hill, when asked how he would vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill, however, Sen. McConnell told reporters he “didn’t know.”

Despite Sen. McConnell’s comments, White House officials have told Democrats on Capitol Hill that they are working with the Senate to have a bipartisan bill ready for Senate consideration as early as the week of July 19.

Meanwhile, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), a key swing vote on all policy matters, including infrastructure, said that he supports Democratic leaders’ plans to move ahead with a wide-ranging “family infrastructure” spending bill. Like Sen. McConnell, however, Sen. Manchin said a physical infrastructure spending bill should not be held hostage to the broader spending package. Lawmakers will continue negotiations on this package even though the U.S. House and Senate are in recess for the U.S. Independence Day holiday.

Additionally, the U.S. House passed the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s surface transportation reauthorization measure on a 221-201 vote. (Only two Republicans voted for the measure.) The INVEST in America Act  authorizes $547 billion for the Department of Transportation (DOT) over the next five years, including $343 billion for roads and bridges, $109 billion for transit, $95 billion for freight rail, and roughly $14.7 billion for projects chosen by federal lawmakers. The bill also includes $51.25 billion toward wastewater infrastructure, as well as $117 billion for drinking water and assistance programs. Congress has until September 30, 2021 to pass a reauthorization before funding expires.

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