Worldly News Online

By Emily Cochrane and Jim Tankersley WASHINGTON — The Senate voted on Wednesday to take up a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill that would make far-reaching investments in the nation’s public works system, as Republicans joined Democrats in clearing the way for action on a crucial piece of President Biden’s agenda. The 67-to-32 vote, which included 17 Republicans in favor, came just hours after centrist senators in both parties and the White House reached a long-sought compromise on the bill, which would provide about $550 billion in new federal money for roads, bridges, rail, transit, water and other physical infrastructure programs. Among those in support of moving forward was Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader and a longtime foil of major legislation pushed by Democratic presidents. Mr. McConnell’s backing signaled that his party was — at least for now — open to teaming with Democrats to enact the plan. The deal still faces several obstacles ...

s WASHINGTON — President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure agreement contains all of the contradictions and promises of the Biden brand. It is a deal that dramatically curbs Democrats’ policy goals in the pursuit of bipartisanship, but also opens a portal to what could be the most ambitious expansion of government into the economy in decades. It is an attempt for the president to have it both ways — compromising with Republicans in pursuit of a bold and progressive agenda — just as he promised Democratic voters he would during the 2020 primary campaign. He has negotiated a deal that satisfies moderates, while promising liberals that the agreement will not become law unless his party’s moderates also supply votes for a far more expensive companion plan. At its core, it is a risk. Mr. Biden’s two-track strategy could easily collapse before any infrastructure bills get to his desk, leaving him empty-handed on his top domestic priority. It was already showing signs of strain on Friday...

Washington (CNN)Sen. Mitt Romney, a key Republican negotiator in infrastructure talks, said Sunday that he's "totally confident" President Joe Biden will sign a bipartisan bill. Biden on Saturday walked back comments he had made Thursday, in which he said he wouldn't approve the bipartisan measure unless it came paired with a reconciliation proposal for "human infrastructure." The President said in a statement that his comments "created the impression that I was issuing a veto threat on the very plan I had just agreed to, which was certainly not my intent." #romney #cnn #comment #joebiden #washington #comments #sunday #walk #president #biden #infrastructure #talk #sign

In her own statement, Ms. Capito said it had been Mr. Biden who had been unwilling to compromise. President Biden on Tuesday ended a weeks-long effort to reach a deal with Senate Republicans on an expansive infrastructure plan, cutting off negotiations that had failed to persuade them to embrace his bid to pour $1 trillion into the nation’s aging public works system and safety-net programs. It was a major setback to Mr. Biden’s effort to attract Republican support for his top domestic priority, which had always faced long odds over the size, scope, and financing of the package. Most Republicans have made it clear they are willing to spend only a fraction of what Democrats want on a much narrower initiative, and balked at any tax increases to pay for it. #infrastructure #biden #capito #plug #deal #effort #president #talk #reach #pull #republicans #senate #cutting