Senate advances Biden’s $1.2T infrastructure package with 18 GOP votes

The Senate moved to advance President Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure package on Saturday, clearing a key procedural hurdle to end debate and clear the bill.

The 67 – 23 vote to invoke cloture beat back GOP efforts to filibuster the bill. A total of 18 Republicans voted with every Democrat to advance the bipartisan measure.

The vote takes the bill one step closer to final passage which could come as early as Saturday afternoon — though more likely Sunday or Monday

“I would say not today. They’re all still horsetrading. There are still amendments to be worked out. People are still submitting amendments,” said one Senate insider intimately involved in the negotiations.

“Republicans, even the ones who don’t want to support the bill, are very interested in working on the legislation and that’s what they’re doing,” the insider continued. “A lot of Republicans who didn’t vote for this bill will be touting the things that it does in their own local media markets.”

Among the Republicans voting in favor to advance the bill was Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell.

“Republicans and Democrats have radically different visions these days, but both those visions include physical infrastructure that works for all of our citizens,” he said in remarks just before the cloture vote.

The bill now proceeds into an amendment process, which the Republican leader warned needed to be thorough.

“There are many outstanding amendments that are important that would improve the legislation, and deserve votes before the Senate is asked to vote on final passage of the bill,” McConnell said.

President Biden sounded a note of urgency in advance of the Saturday vote, saying in a tweet that the deal was “a historic, once-in-a-generation investment in our nation’s infrastructure” and that “It will create good-paying, union jobs repairing our roads and bridges, replacing lead pipes, and building energy transmission lines.”