U.S. Senate nears passage of infrastructure bill
The U.S. Senate has cleared a key vote on the trillion-dollar bipartisan infrastructure bill, which would be the largest investment in American roads and bridges in decades.
Senators voted 68-29 on Sunday to limit debate on the bill.
That puts it on track for a vote on final passage of the bill as early as Monday, which would then send it on to the House of Representatives.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Sunday Democrats were 'ready and willing' to vote on any additional amendments to the bill and asked for Republicans to cooperate.
"I said yesterday we could do this the easy way or the hard way. Yesterday it appeared that some republicans would like the senate to do this the hard way. In any case we'll keep proceeding until we get this bill done."
Sunday's vote came shortly after freshman senator and Trump ally Bill Hagerty objected to the legislation, pointing to its projected impact on the federal budget deficit.
That forced the Senate to run out the clock on debate time.
The bill is now expected to pass, which would be a major victory for President Joe Biden.
He'll likely next turn his attention toward pushing a $3.5 trillion "human infrastructure" bill through Congress, aiming to cover child care and expand Medicare for seniors.
That bill is expected to run into staunch Republican opposition.
