The U.S. Senate voted to advance a $1 trillion infrastructure package on Saturday, an important procedural step forward after months of negotiations between President Joe Biden and a bipartisan group of senators.
In a 67-27 vote demonstrating broad support, senators agreed to limit debate on the legislation, which represents the biggest investment in decades in America’s roads, bridges, airports and waterways.
Eighteen of the Senate’s 50 Republicans voted to move forward on the legislation, with Senators John Cornyn and Deb Fischer backing the package for the first time.
But the timing for passage remained unclear, as lawmakers prepared for expected votes on amendments and worked behind closed doors to reach an agreement that would allow the Senate to complete its work on the legislation quickly.
“We can get this done the easy way or the hard way. In either case, the Senate will stay in session until we finish our work,” Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a floor speech before the vote. “It’s up to my Republican colleagues how long it takes.”
Passage would be a major victory for Schumer, Biden and the bipartisan group of senators who spent months crafting the package, and would send the bill on to the U.S. House of Representatives.
