Senate Democrats reached a $3.5 trillion budget agreement. It aims to address “human” infrastructure.
As The Associated Press reports, the “ambitious proposal reflects Biden’s vision for making the most substantive potential investments in the nation in years.”
Democratic lawmakers are hoping to push a budget reconciliation through the House and Senate before lawmakers leave for the August recess. Per the AP, “The resolution sets only broad spending and revenue parameters, leaving the actual funding and specific decisions about which programs are affected — and by exactly how much — for later legislation. … The later spending legislation will likely not start moving through Congress until the fall.”
The legislation will need 50 votes to pass in the Senate, which Schumer is confident in eventually getting those votes.
The total comes to $4.1 trillion when this $3.5 trillion budget plan and a separate bipartisan infrastructure proposal are combined.
“How to pay for the package remains a key sticking point in passing the bill,” as Axios writes.
“Very proud”
As the deal was announced on Tuesday, Schumer told reporters, “We are very proud of this plan. We know we have a long road to go. We’re going to get this done for the sake of making average Americans’ lives a whole lot better.”
The Senate majority leader also said on Twitter that it would make “the biggest investment in the middle class in decades” to “create jobs, rebuild infrastructure, act on climate, expand Medicare to vision, dental, and hearing, and more.”
I just stood with @SenSanders, @MarkWarner, & Sen Budget Dems to say we have an agreement on a budget resolution making the biggest investment in the middle class in decades to:
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) July 14, 2021
Create jobs
Rebuild infrastructure
Act on climate
Expand Medicare to vision, dental, and hearing
More
Schumer also told reporters on Tuesday that President Joe Biden plans to attend a closed-door lunch at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday to “lead us on to getting this wonderful plan” enacted, as The Associated Press (AP) reports.