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Schumer: Vote on infrastructure bill could come within days

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., updates reporters on the infrastructure negotiations between Republicans and Democrats, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday. (AP photo)

WASHINGTON — The vote on a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill could be held “in a matter of days,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Sunday, as negotiators scrambled to finish writing the legislation.

Schumer opened the rare Sunday session by saying that the text of the bill would be released “imminently.”

Senators and staff have been laboring behind the scenes for days to write what is certain to be a massive piece of legislation. An early draft swelled beyond 2,500 pages. To prod the work along, Schumer is keeping senators in over the weekend, encouraging the authors of the bipartisan infrastructure plan to finish drafting the bill so that senators can begin offering amendments.

Two of the negotiators said Sunday morning that action could come soon. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said on CNN, “We really are just about finished.” Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said on CNN that there will likely be “text today and by this evening, hopefully we can start the process.” Like Schumer, both said the bill could be finished this week.

The predictions were a familiar refrain after days of delays. Several senators had said the text of the bill would be ready for review late Friday or early Saturday, but it wasn’t ready to be filed by the time Schumer closed the floor Saturday night.

“They need a little more time,” Schumer said. “I’m prepared to give it to them.”

Schumer, the majority leader, said he understood that completing the writing of such a large bill is a difficult project, but he warned Saturday that he was prepared to keep lawmakers in Washington for as long as it took to complete votes on both the bipartisan infrastructure plan and a budget blueprint that would allow the Senate to begin work later this year on a massive, $3.5 trillion social, health and environmental bill.

“The longer it takes to finish, the longer we will be here, but we’re going to get the job done,” he said.

The bipartisan plan — a key part of President Joe Biden’s agenda — calls for $550 billion in new spending over five years above projected federal levels. It’s being financed from funding sources that might not pass muster with deficit hawks, including repurposing untapped COVID-19 relief aid and relying on projected future economic growth.

Among the major investments are $110 billion for roads and bridges, $39 billion for public transit and $66 billion for rail. There’s also $55 billion for water and wastewater infrastructure as well as billions for airports, ports, broadband internet and electric vehicle charging stations.

A bipartisan group of senators helped it clear one more hurdle Friday and braced to see if support could hold during the next few days of debate and efforts to amend it.

Schumer wants the voting to be wrapped up before senators break for their August recess. He said that once the legislative text is finalized, he’ll review it and offer it up as a substitute to the shell bill currently before the chamber. Then, senators can begin voting on amendments.

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