The US leader is convinced that Congress will approve the second part of his $ 3.5 trillion project
The US Senate has approved an infrastructure development plan approved by the White House and a bilateral group of senators of more than $ 1 trillion. It was approved by 69 legislators, 30 were against. The adoption of this law represents a major victory for the administration of President Joe Biden. The House of Representatives now has the initiative to consider.
Photo: en.wikipedia.org
The document, nicknamed the Infrastructure and Employment Investment Act, was approved by the US Senate on Tuesday, August 10. The $ 1.2 trillion plan was supported by 69 senators, 30 against. The initiative, which includes a $ 550 billion allocation of federal funds to develop the country's infrastructure over five years, was also supported by 19 Republican members. & Nbsp;
So $ 110 billion is planned to build bridges and roads, $ 50 billion – & mdash; create conditions for combating extreme weather conditions.
Authorities plan to invest another $ 66 billion in rail modernization and $ 7.5 billion in the construction of charging stations for electric vehicles, $ 11 billion and mdash; for $ 39 billion traffic security programs – & mdash; modernization of public transportation, $ 42 billion & mdash; for the development of port and airport infrastructure.
An additional $ 55 billion will go to improving the drinking water supply system, $ 73 billion – & mdash; for clean energy transportation and $ 65 billion each & mdash; restore energy networks and provide the population with high-speed internet.
The Democrat-dominated House of Congress has now taken the initiative to consider. The timing of the vote has not yet been set.
On Tuesday afternoon, US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris appealed to the main infrastructure agreement, which marked the biggest victory for the current administration. According to the American leader, “ he never believed & # 39; & # 39; critics who called his calls for bilateral implementation a “ relic of the past“.
“ The death of this law was announced somewhat prematurely, & ndash; said Biden. & ndash; A few years later, we are finally on the threshold of an infrastructure decade that I believe will change the United States. Today, we have shown that democracy can still work. We can still work together to make things big and important for the American people. & # 39; & # 39; & nbsp;
Biden also thanked the Democratic and Republican senators for their work: “I know that the Republicans who supported this bill had a hard time. You have shown great courage and I want to thank you personally. & # 39; & # 39;
The US leader recalled that work on the initiative is far from complete: the infrastructure plan is to be approved by the House of Representatives. The White House leader said he was looking forward to the vote.
Vice President Harris, on the other hand, stressed that the United States is “a step closer to historical investment in our country's infrastructure.”
However, COVID-19 developed during the pandemic has provoked sharp criticism from some lawmakers. For example, Senator Susan Collins of Maine noted that a number of funded projects are “ not a necessity, but & nbsp; rather & nbsp; luxury & # 39; & # 39 ;; during the spread of coronavirus infection, when healthcare needs financial support.
Other senators expressed dissatisfaction with the amount of funds allocated, especially after the Congressional Budget Office announced that the infrastructure bill would increase the expected US budget deficit by $ 256 billion over the next ten years.
At the same time, the White House chief expressed confidence that the US Congress would approve the second part of the country's extensive infrastructure plan for $ 3.5 trillion. The politician hopes that the initiative will be taken either as a whole or in a significant part.
Journalists asked the US president if he believes lawmakers will approve at least part of his initiative. Biden replied that he remained optimistic about the matter: “I think we can get a lot, if not all.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, meanwhile, said the House would not table the first bill until it received a larger package, most likely until the end of September.
The funds are expected to go to cut taxes for the middle class, expand health care programs, increase paid maternity and sick leave, create free day care centers, introduce a two-year community university tuition fee for all Americans, and even introduce Climate Sanders' change measures, a $ 3.5 trillion plan, address “ the long-term neglected needs of working families, not just 1% of the population & # 39; & # 39 ;. “It must bring back to the American people's belief that the government can work for everyone, not some.” Democrats.
Recall that US President Joe Biden promised to prepare a major project to modernize the country's infrastructure during the 2020 election campaign. The American leader said that such expenditures are one of the methods of the global struggle for leadership.