A bipartisan group of House moderates on Wednesday unveiled an eight-year, $1.25 trillion infrastructure plan designed to help break the months-long impasse over President Biden
The framework offered by the 58-member Problem Solvers Caucus calls for more than $959 billion for traditional infrastructure, including highways, bridges, rail, airports and waterways; $25 billion of that money would be set aside for electric vehicle infrastructure, including electric buses.
The plan also calls for $74 billion for drinking water and wastewater systems; $71 billion for the electric grid and clean-energy programs; $45 billion for broadband; and $10 billion for veterans’ housing.
ADVERTISEMENT
In the coming days, the group 29 Democrats and 29 Republicans will offer proposals for how to pay for the package but it is not backing tax increases that Biden and progressives want, sources said. About $762 billion of the package represents new spending.
“We have a lot of things we want to get done. Obviously, the Build Back Better bill is important. Obviously, doing something about China is important. Obviously, many of the bills the House has sent over are important,” Schumer said late last week. “Our first priority is to fill up the president s Cabinet. We re making good progress this week and next week. And then we will decide on the next few things to go forward on.
Democrats will only be able to use two reconciliation bills this year, which can avoid the 60-vote filibuster in the Senate. They’ve already used one for the coronavirus bill, and House Democrats are at odds over what the scope of the second should be.
As our sister publication Townhall reported,
“The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would essentially eliminate freelancers and the gig economy. The bill passed 225 to 206. Five Republicans joined Democrats in voting for the act.’
As we have seen so clearly over the past year, it’s less about the letter before your state, and more about who is putting the feed in your trough; and how much. The PRO Act is a clear “gimme” to the big Labor Unions, so signing on for the destruction of 57 million Americans ability to pursue work as they choose and build their businesses means that you care about one thing and one thing only: Labor campaign contributions.
ERLC | Explainer: House votes in favor of the Equality Act erlc.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from erlc.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
What just happened?
Next week the U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on the radical Equality Act. The bill would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Fair Housing Act to “prohibit discrimination” on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.
As Alliance Defending Freedom notes, this legislation could be used to restrict the religious freedom of churches and religious nonprofits, including religious schools; set back protections for women in athletics, at work, and in private spaces like showers and locker rooms; and inhibit the ability of everyday Americans to live in accord with their beliefs.