The Senate voted 67-32 on Wednesday to advance the bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.
Why it matters: After weeks of negotiating, portions of the bill remain unwritten, but the Senate can now start debating the legislation to resolve outstanding issues.
- It was the second time the chamber voted to invoke cloture on the legislation after the first vote failed last week.
Details: The deal is expected to cost $1.2 trillion over eight years, and offers more than $550 billion in new spending, including...
- $110 billion in new funds for roads, bridges, and major projects, $40 billion of which is new funding for bridge repair, replacement, and rehabilitation and $17.5 billion for major projects;
- $73 billion for the country's electric grid and power structures;
- $65 billion will be allocated for broadband;
- $55 billion for clean drinking water;
- $50 billion for flooding and coastal resiliency.
The big picture: The vote came after Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), the lead GOP negotiator, announced that the bipartisan group had an "agreement on the major issues."
- Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has said that he is considering keeping the Senate in session over the weekend to complete the bipartisan bill.
Go deeper: Bipartisan group reaches agreement on $1.2 trillion "hard" infrastructure bill