US Senate goes back to Washington with focus on infrastructure

CHARLESTON, W. Va. – When the U.S. Senate returns to its session on Monday, lawmakers will have their sights set on passing infrastructure laws. One bill will come from the bipartisan framework backed by President Joe Biden and a coalition of lawmakers.

Biden and a senatorial group announced the framework late last month, which would cost $ 1.2 trillion over eight years and include $ 579 billion in new spending. As early as the week of July 19, the Senate could vote on a bill, depending on the efforts made to draft the text of the law.

22 Senators – including West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin – support the bipartisan framework. The proposal calls for $ 110 billion in new spending on roads and related projects, $ 73 billion on electricity improvements, $ 65 billion on broadband improvements, and $ 47.2 billion on resilience efforts Infrastructure.

“This law is extremely important,” Manchin told reporters last week. “Not just for the state of West Virginia – which will basically reap billions of dollars invested in our state – but really for the United States of America.”

The American Society of Civil Engineers gave the United States a “C-minus” grade for the country’s infrastructure and West Virginia a “D” in its most recent certificate. The organization found structural deficiencies in the streets of West Virginia and an outdated drinking water system.

US Senator Joe Manchin, DW.Va. (Office of U.S. Senator Joe Manchin)

According to the agency, the West Virginia Division of Highways maintains more than 95% of the state’s bridges and 93% of the roads.

Manchin visited several locations in Kanawha County last Thursday to understand local infrastructure issues, including the Marmet Locks and Dam and Yeager Airport in Charleston. He told reporters at the airport that West Virginia and other states will continue to postpone maintenance and construction, and the bipartisan bill will give states time to plan projects in addition to the necessary funding.

“We’ve talked about doing an infrastructure bill for the past three or four governments and nothing has been done,” said Manchin. “The deferred maintenance piles up and piles up, and it’s time for us to basically rebuild America.”

Funding for the bipartisan bill would come from multiple sources, including reusing unused coronavirus aid funds, using unused unemployment insurance funds, and collecting unpaid taxes.

“At the moment there are no new taxes at all,” said Manchin.

The president made several stops in the past two weeks to push for the bipartisan framework and broader bill on “human infrastructure” issues such as childcare and education. Biden has said the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the American Families Plan should be merged, though a second bill is likely to pass in the Senate only if only Democrats vote in favor.

“The next bill has to be paid by the tax law amendment, and I have been very frank with the fact that I am fine because I did not vote for the 2017 tax cuts that I thought would be aimed at extremely high income, wealthy people and not the average worker, ”said Manchin.

“I’m ready to make these adjustments, but not to the point where we’re no longer competitive. You cannot have the superpower in the world with an uncompetitive tax structure. You can’t do it and keep the quality of life or the super status that we have. “

Republicans have raised concerns about the pairing of the bills. Biden responded by conceding that the Senate would likely have to pass the second law through reconciliation.

“To be clear, our bipartisan agreement doesn’t prevent Republicans from trying to thwart my family plan; Likewise, they should not object to my dedicated efforts to get this family plan and other proposals adopted at the same time, ”he said in a June 26 statement.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., wrote in a letter to colleagues that he intends for the Senate to look at infrastructure by considering the bipartisan proposal in addition to a budget resolution to pass a second bill through reconciliation .

“Please note that time is short and we have a lot to do,” he wrote. “Senators should be prepared for the opportunity to work long nights and weekends and stay in Washington through the August state’s previously scheduled work period.”

Senator Shelley Moore Capito, RW.Va., said she wanted to review the text of the law before deciding whether to support the bipartisan law. Capito led Republican senators in negotiations with the White House, but discussions broke down after disagreements over the amendment to the 2017 tax law and the scope of the final bill.

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources will meet on Wednesday to discuss over $ 95 billion in investments in energy technologies and infrastructure. Manchin, the chairman of the committee, said the bill would be part of the bipartisan proposal. The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, of which Capito is the highest-ranking member, unanimously approved a land transport bill worth $ 311 billion in May.