U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday hailed Congress' passage of his US$1-trillion infrastructure package as a 'monumental step forward for the nation' after fractious fellow Democrats resolved a months-long standoff in their ranks to finally seal the deal.
WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday hailed Congress' passage of his US$1 trillion infrastructure package as a "monumental step forward for the nation" after fractious fellow Democrats resolved a months-long standoff in their ranks to finally seal the deal.
Democratic candidates for governor were defeated in Virginia and squeaked through in New Jersey, two blue-leaning states. Those setbacks made party leaders -- and moderates and liberals alike -- impatient to produce impactful legislation and demonstrate they know how to govern. Democrats can ill afford to seem in disarray a year before midterm elections that could result in Republicans regaining congressional control.
But in an evening breakthrough brokered by Biden and House leaders, five moderates later agreed to back that bill if the budget office's estimates are consistent with preliminary numbers that White House and congressional tax analysts have provided. The agreement, in which lawmakers promised to vote on the social and environment bill by the week of Nov. 15, stood as a significant step toward a House vote that could ultimately ship it to the Senate.
Biden predicted Americans would begin to feel the impact of the infrastructure bill "probably starting within the next two to three months as we get shovels in the ground. But the full impact of the legislation will probably take decades to be fully realized. Biden said the investment would be viewed in 50 years as "When America decided to win the competition of the 21st century" with a rising China.
In a statement, five moderates said that if the fiscal estimates on the social and environment bill raise problems, "we remain committed to working to resolve any discrepancies" to pass it.
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