Senate Republicans are expected to block a vote Wednesday advancing a massive bipartisan infrastructure bill since they have not yet struck a deal with Democrats to draft the legislation.
But lawmakers said that even with the expected failure of Wednesday’s vote, talks would continue to intensify over the next few days with the goal of trying again to advance the $1.2 trillion measure by early next week. Two key Republicans — Utah Sen. Mitt Romney and Ohio Sen. Rob Portman — said they’d oppose the procedural vote Wednesday, calling for more time to negotiate the bill. « I think that’s where everybody is, » Romney said. « It won’t be done tonight, » Portman added Tuesday. The effort is one piece of the larger effort to advance the White House’s sweeping economic agenda, with Democrats also laying the groundwork to advance a $3.5 trillion package to expand the social safety net. Democrats have suggested that some elements of this bipartisan plan could be rolled into the larger package if they can’t advance the narrower measure. But taking that tack could turn off moderate Democrats who are already wary of the eye-popping price tag. Republican senators told Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in a letter on Tuesday to postpone the vote until they secure a bipartisan agreement and write the bill. A Senate GOP source with direct knowledge of the matter told CNN all 50 Republicans would likely vote no on Wednesday, but expected that all of the issues would be resolved by Monday, and at least 10 Republican senators would support advancing the legislation then. Schumer, a Democrat from New York, set up a test vote to open debate on the legislation, arguing that the vote would simply set the stage for considering the bill once negotiators have finalized the agreement.
