{"id":17790,"date":"2021-11-08T13:36:42","date_gmt":"2021-11-08T18:36:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=17790"},"modified":"2021-11-08T13:43:03","modified_gmt":"2021-11-08T18:43:03","slug":"cronkite-news-infrastructure-bill-finally-makes-it-over-finish-line-on-capitol-hill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/11\/08\/cronkite-news-infrastructure-bill-finally-makes-it-over-finish-line-on-capitol-hill\/","title":{"rendered":"Cronkite News: Infrastructure bill finally makes it over finish line on Capitol Hill"},"content":{"rendered":"<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/11\/08\/cronkite-news-infrastructure-bill-finally-makes-it-over-finish-line-on-capitol-hill\/uscapitol-13\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-17793\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" data-attachment-id=\"17793\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/11\/08\/cronkite-news-infrastructure-bill-finally-makes-it-over-finish-line-on-capitol-hill\/uscapitol-13\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/08\/uscapitol-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 12 Pro Max&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1626998272&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;7.5&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;20&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0011764705882353&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"U.S. Capitol\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;The U.S. Capitol. Photo by Indianz.Com &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/&quot;&gt;(CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/08\/uscapitol-1024x768.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/08\/uscapitol-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"U.S. Capitol\"  class=\"size-full wp-image-17793\" \/><\/a> <figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">The U.S. Capitol. Photo by Indianz.Com <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">(CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">Arizona lawmakers split as House OKs $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Monday, November 8, 2021<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Diannie Chavez, Kimberly Silverio-Bautista and Ulysse Bex<\/div>\r\n<DIV class=source>Cronkite News<\/DIV>\r\n<DIV class=source-website><A \r\nhref=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/\">cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A><\/DIV>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nWASHINGTON &#8211; Arizona lawmakers split on party lines late Friday night as the House voted 228-206 to pass a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, giving final passage to a centerpiece of the Biden administration&#8217;s agenda.<P><\/P>\r\nAll four Arizona Republicans voted against and all five Arizona Democrats voted for the bill, which has already passed the Senate and now goes to the president for his signature.<P><\/P>\r\n&#8220;For far too long, Congress has agreed that infrastructure is an American priority but has let political gridlock get in the way of concrete action,&#8221; said Rep. Tom O&#8217;Halleran, D-Sedona, in <a href=\"https:\/\/ohalleran.house.gov\/newsroom\/press-releases\/o-halleran-votes-favor-historic-bipartisan-infrastructure-package\">a statement<\/a> after <a href=\"https:\/\/clerk.house.gov\/Votes\/2021369\">the vote.<\/a> &#8220;I was proud to vote to pass this much-needed package today.&#8221;<P><\/P>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We passed a bipartisan infrastructure deal that will revitalize <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AZ01?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#AZ01<\/a> roads, broadband expansion, wildfire suppression, electric grids, &amp; water systems, creating millions of new jobs in the process! Learn what this transformative bill will do for AZ \ud83d\udc47 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/wcPbw83cui\">https:\/\/t.co\/wcPbw83cui<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Archived: Rep. Tom O&#39;Halleran (@RepOHalleran) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepOHalleran\/status\/1456852981828263940?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 6, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nBut it was political gridlock that prevented House Democrats from pushing through another key part of the White House&#8217;s plan, the $1.85 trillion Build Back Better bill that would fund everything from child care to housing to climate change efforts.<P><\/P>\r\nInstead, the House cast a <a href=\"https:\/\/clerk.house.gov\/Votes\/2021372\">221-213<\/a> procedural vote, strictly along party lines, that keeps the bill alive for a final vote when lawmakers return from their Veterans&#8217; Day recess.<P><\/P>\r\nThe votes followed a full day of wrangling between moderate and progressive House Democrats, with the moderates demanding to see a Congressional Budget Office &#8220;score&#8221; on the actual costs of the bill before committing to vote.<P><\/P>\r\n&#8220;We had hoped to bring both bills to the floor today,&#8221; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday, before announcing the plan to keep Build Back Better alive while negotiations continue. &#8220;Some members want more clarification or validation of numbers that have been put forth, its top line that it is fully paid for, and we honor that request.&#8221;<P><\/P>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The American people sent <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@POTUS<\/a> to the White House and Democratic Majorities to Congress to deliver results that make their lives better. Last night, by sending an historic and bipartisan infrastructure package to the President\u2019s desk, that is exactly what we have done.<\/p>&mdash; Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SpeakerPelosi\/status\/1457080710431481858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 6, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThe two bills had been linked, with progressive Democrats refusing to vote for the infrastructure bill until they were assured of getting what they wanted in the Build Back Better plan, which was cut from the original $3.5 trillion after Senate moderates &#8211; including Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Arizona &#8211; objected to its size.<P><\/P>\r\nDespite the delays, House leaders said they hope to be able to pass the bill and send it to the Senate for final approval before Thanksgiving.<P><\/P>\r\nPelosi said Friday that while negotiations on the larger bill continued, it was important to pass the infrastructure bill so that the jobs it is expected to create &#8220;can come online as soon as possible.&#8221;<P><\/P>\r\n&#8220;We have waited a while, we had hoped to pass it sooner, but we can&#8217;t wait too much later for the legislation,&#8221; she said.<P><\/P>\r\nThe vote on the infrastructure bill came shortly before midnight on a day that began at 8 a.m. for the House. The procedural vote on the Build Back Better plan came at 12:37 a.m. Saturday. But supporters said it was important to move forward, particularly on the infrastructure bill.<P><\/P>\r\n&#8220;President Biden and this Democratic majority were elected to bring real, tangible change that could be felt in all corners of the country,&#8221; said Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Phoenix, in <a href=\"https:\/\/rubengallego.house.gov\/media-center\/press-releases\/statement-rep-gallego-voting-yes-pass-infrastructure-investment-and-jobs\">a statement.<\/a> &#8220;The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act does that by providing critical funds to rebuild Arizona\u2019s roads, bridges, and public transit and expanding access to reliable broadband and clean water for all communities.&#8221;<P><\/P>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">My statement on voting to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. \u2b07\ufe0f\u2b07\ufe0f<br><br>\u201cPresident Biden and this Democratic majority were elected to bring real, tangible change that could be felt in all corners of the country. (1\/6)<\/p>&mdash; Ruben Gallego (@RepRubenGallego) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepRubenGallego\/status\/1456828075748909060?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 6, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nRepublican critics said the bill is too costly and loaded with projects that have little to do with actual infrastructure but merely push a liberal agenda.<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cWhile our nation is in need of infrastructure improvements to our roads, bridges, highways, railways, power, and water systems, this bill simply missed the mark,&#8221; said <a href=\"https:\/\/lesko.house.gov\/news\/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2647\">a statement<\/a> from Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Peoria. &#8220;The spending in this bill is not paid for and will add to our national debt, plus only a low percentage of the bill is actually spent on real infrastructure needs.&#8221;<P><\/P>\r\nUltimately, six Democratic progressives crossed the aisle to vote against the infrastructure bill and 13 Republicans voted for it.<P><\/P>\r\nThe White House said the infrastructure bill, also known as the American Jobs Plan, would go toward repairing bridges and roads, modernizing public transit, extending broadband, ensuring clean and safe drinking water and more.<P><\/P>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The House has passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a historic bill that includes approximately $15 billion in tribal-specific funding. It will now head to the President\u2019s desk to be signed into law.<br><br>Read NCAI\u2019s detailed analysis: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/yHZupDm1Cc\">https:\/\/t.co\/yHZupDm1Cc<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/n1aqLzJkv6\">pic.twitter.com\/n1aqLzJkv6<\/a><\/p>&mdash; National Congress of American Indians (@NCAI1944) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NCAI1944\/status\/1456849493526188038?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 6, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ARIZONA_The-Infrastructure-Investment-and-Jobs-Act-State-Fact-Sheet.pdf\">In Arizona,<\/a> it said, the bill would help repair 132 bridges and 3,100 miles of highway that are in poor condition, address an estimated $9.1 billion in needed water infrastructure projects and improve broadband access for the 14% of Arizonans who have none and the 45% who live in an area with just one provider, among other goals.<P><\/P>\r\nBut the bill also includes items that are not traditionally thought of as infrastructure. It calls for funding for home care for the elderly and disabled, for more home weatherization for low-income homeowners and for an increase in child care facilities in the state, where 48% of residents live in a &#8220;childcare desert.&#8221;<P><\/P>\r\nThe more-ambitious 10-year, $1.85 trillion Build Back Better plan would cover everything from child care to Medicare, and reduce taxes for workers and families, according to an administration fact sheet.<P><\/P>\r\nThe White House said that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Arizona_BBB-State-Fact-Sheet.pdf\">in Arizona<\/a> the plan would provide access to child care for 457,864 young children per year and expand access to free preschool to more than 139,000 additional 3- and 4-year-olds per year. It would also expand Medicaid coverage to 158,000 uninsured people and save hundreds of dollars in health care annually for more than 107,000 Arizonans.<P><\/P>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">My Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal will build a national network of charging stations for electric vehicles and thousands of miles of new, resilient transmission lines for a clean energy grid.<br> <br>Together with the Build Back Better Framework, it will help tackle the climate crisis.<\/p>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/POTUS\/status\/1457710322387718148?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 8, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThe spending plan also aims to expand rental assistance for Arizona renters and increase housing supply by 1 million affordable housing units nationwide.<P><\/P>\r\nDemocratic leaders, including President Joe Biden, insist that the plan will pay for itself, through higher taxes on corporations and the highest-wage earners.<P><\/P>\r\nDebate on the cost of the bill has taken place over the past several months, and that continued Friday, with Gallego <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepRubenGallego\/status\/1456686021056335879\">tweeting<\/a> that the package &#8220;creates jobs, grows the economy invests in children, families and climate action and is paid for.&#8221;<P><\/P>\r\nBut <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepDLesko\/status\/1456717977542438917\">Lesko said<\/a> the &#8220;huge tax-and-spend bill&#8221; will drive up inflation and &#8220;every single American will pay for it.&#8221; Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Gilbert, went further, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepAndyBiggsAZ\/status\/1456832235362004992\/photo\/1\">calling it<\/a> a &#8220;far left \u2026 Socialist spending plan.&#8221;<P><\/P><div class=\"mt-1 mb-1\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8411603009680747\" data-ad-slot=\"6394965691\"><\/ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/div><P><\/P>\r\nThe current $1.85 trillion Build Back Better plan is a scaled-back version of the originally proposed 10-year, $3.5 trillion budget. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, said Democratic progressives had been called on &#8220;to compromise and not let the perfect be the enemy of the good,&#8221; and had done so. He <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepRaulGrijalva\/status\/1456663218378715138\">called on<\/a> party moderates &#8220;to practice what they preach and vote to Build Back Better.&#8221;<P><\/P>\r\nIf the plan can pass the House when it comes back after recess, it must still go to the Senate. Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Phoenix, said Friday&#8217;s vote on the infrastructure bill was &#8220;a big step forward &#8211; an important one &#8211; but our work is only half done.&#8221;<P><\/P>\r\n&#8220;We must continue our work to pass a meaningful reconciliation bill that will strengthen America&#8217;s middle class and lower everyday costs that burden families without adding to our national debt,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepGregStanton\/status\/1456827150410125317\/photo\/1\">Stanton said<\/a> in a statement after Friday&#8217;s votes.<P><\/P>\r\n<STRONG>For more stories from Cronkite News, visit <A href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/?utm_source=referral&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=client\">cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A>.<\/STRONG>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<HR><EM>Note: This story originally <a href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/2021\/11\/06\/arizona-lawmakers-split-as-house-oks-1-2-trillion-infrastructure-bill\/\">appeared on Cronkite News<\/a>.  It  is published via a <A href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative  Commons license<\/A>. Cronkite News is produced by the <A href=\"https:\/\/cronkite.asu.edu\/\">Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication<\/A> at <A href=\"https:\/\/www.asu.edu\">Arizona State University<\/A>.<\/EM><HR>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Congress has given final approval to a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that&#8217;s been a key part of President Biden&#8217;s agenda.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17793,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,14],"tags":[869,1574,42,46,94,121,1870,48,1319,53,191,126,85,124,91,247,164],"class_list":["post-17790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","category-politics","tag-117th","tag-andy-biggs","tag-arizona","tag-cronkite-news","tag-democrats","tag-employment","tag-h-r-3684","tag-house","tag-infrastructure","tag-joe-biden","tag-nancy-pelosi","tag-raul-grijalva","tag-republicans","tag-ruben-gallego","tag-senate","tag-tom-ohalleran","tag-transportation","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/08\/uscapitol-scaled.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-4CW","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17790"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17790\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}