Democrats’ infrastructure gamble actually seems like it could be working

Earlier this summer, Democrats announced that they’d be taking a circuitous route in their efforts to pass major new funding for infrastructure, something they’ve dubbed the “two-track” plan. Effectively, they planned to do two things in parallel: work to advance a bipartisan infrastructure bill containing provisions Republicans and Democrats agreed on (like money for roads and bridges), and use a special budget reconciliation process to pass the priorities with only Democratic support, such as the extension of the child tax credit and a payment program intended to incentivize the use of clean energy. It was a pretty risky approach given how many things could have gone wrong, from moderate Democrats derailing the process over concerns about spending to Republicans refusing to vote for a bipartisan precursor to a partisan measure. So far, however, the Senate has managed to keep things moving on both tracks, a sign that this approach could wind up working after all. Doing so has been a tenuous balancing act — one that required Democrats to cut the size of their ambitions on more traditional infrastructure, and for Republicans to accept adding about $250 billion to the federal deficit over a decade. Those compromises, the result of weeks of negotiations, led to notable progress in the Senate this week: Lawmakers voted 69-30 to approve a $1.2 trillion bipartisan proposal that includes funding for roads, bridges, transit, and water infrastructure. Additionally, Democrats passed a $3.5 trillion budget resolution — a blueprint for a reconciliation bill — that includes extensive caregiving provisions and climate policies. These victories are the product of a couple of factors that came together on infrastructure, an issue that’s long seen strong bipartisan backing from both voters and lawmakers. It’s clear some Republicans saw the bipartisan bill as a concrete win they could point to with constituents, and opted to support rather than obstruct the legislation as a result. Democrats also managed to placate moderates like Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) by spending time on a bipartisan measure, ultimately earning their support for the more partisan reconciliation resolution as well.“If you’re a Republican, you want to prove that you’re not just here to completely block and stop the entire agenda,” Sen. John Thune (R-SD), a top Senate Republican, told the Los Angeles Times’s Eli Stokols and Jen Haberkorn. “It’d be good, maybe, for the administration, and they probably need a win right about now, but I also think that there are benefits politically to members on both sides.”There’s still a lot that could go awry before either of these bills becomes law: Both chambers need to write the $3.5 trillion budget bill, and the House needs to consider both measures.


All data is taken from the source: http://vox.com
Article Link: https://www.vox.com/2021/8/11/22618336/infrastructure-bill-bipartisan-reconciliation


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