17 Senate Republicans Side With Dems, Vote To Advance $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill
Even as some Republican senators wanted to see the text of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that is being considered by the Senate, 17 GOP senators voted Wednesday to move forward with the bill, which is one of…
Even as some Republican senators wanted to see the text of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that is being considered by the Senate, 17 GOP senators voted Wednesday to move forward with the bill, which is one of President Joe Biden’s top legislative priorities.
The procedural vote is not the final vote on the bill, but it clears one major hurdle as Democrats move forward with a one-two punch that also includes a $3.5 trillion catch-all bill to fund liberal priorities not included in the infrastructure legislation.
The 17 GOP senators who voted to move the bill forward without having read it were Sens. Roy Blunt of Missouri, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, Mike Crapo of Idaho, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, John Hoeven of North Dakota, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rob Portman of Ohio, Jim Risch of Idaho, Mitt Romney of Utah, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Todd Young of Indiana, according to CNN.
Others pushed back.
“I voted no on #infrastructure a week ago because there was no legislative text,” Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina tweeted. “My mind hasn’t changed. There’s still no legislative text or explanation on how to pay for a $1T infrastructure plan.”
Portman noted that the bill is not final and there is time for debate.
“We now have an agreement on the major issues. We are prepared to move forward,” he said, according to The Hill