The US Congress on September 30 passed a temporary spending bill until December 3, helping the government escape the risk of shutdown, amid difficulties besieging the country because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
`There is much work to be done, but this bill’s passage shows that bipartisanship is possible, while also giving us more time to pass a longer-term budget that will help keep the government running.`
However, after this rare bipartisan handshake, Democratic leaders face a huge challenge related to the $3.5 trillion social spending package and the $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill.
In August, the ambitious infrastructure bill proposed by President Biden was unanimously passed by 50 Democratic senators and 19 Republican senators in the Senate and passed it for a vote in the House of Representatives.
However, Biden’s economic ambitions encountered trouble from his own Democratic Party, when progressive lawmakers in the party announced they would not vote for the infrastructure bill if it did not come with a spending package.
US President Joe Biden spoke at the White House on September 27.
Biden’s infrastructure bill includes $110 billion in funding for roads and bridges and major projects, and $39 billion to modernize and make public transit more accessible to the disabled and disabled.
The bill also invests $66 billion to maintain, modernize and expand the rail system, mostly for Amtrak.
$11 billion in the bill would be allocated to highway and pedestrian safety programs.
The goal of strengthening general infrastructure to combat climate change and cyber attacks will be invested with $50 billion.
The bill also invests $21 billion to eliminate soil and groundwater pollution, create jobs in the energy sector, and focus on economic and environmental justice.
According to the plan, the budget for this ambitious infrastructure project will come from many sources, including more than 200 billion USD converted from the original fund intended to support Covid-19,
However, some lawmakers warn that such a large infrastructure bill will increase the federal budget deficit by $256 billion over 10 years, contrary to the plan’s proponents’ claim that the
While the bipartisan infrastructure bill focuses on physical infrastructure like roads and bridges, progressives in the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives pursue `human infrastructure` ambitions.
Democrats do not expect support from any Republicans for this spending package.
However, not all Democrats agree with the $3.5 trillion spending level, such as Arizona senator Kyrsten Sinema and West Virginia senator Joe Manchin, who hold moderate views.
Deep divisions within the Democratic Party over the social spending package caused US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to decide to postpone the vote on the infrastructure bill, which was supposed to take place on September 30.
`If the vote doesn’t happen today, it won’t be a big change. The bill will pass. Mark my words. The infrastructure bill will pass, so will the social spending bill.`
