Senate Republicans blocked a $1 trillion infrastructure bill but are eyeing a revote next week that would allow more time to resolve outstanding differences.
A group of 11 Senate Republicans who helped write the infrastructure measure said they sent a letter to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer seeking a vote to consider the bill next week.
INFLATION CONCERNS LEAVE GOP SUPPORTERS OF BIDEN’S BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE FRAMEWORK ON AN ISLAND
“We’re voting ‘no’ today because we’re not ready,” Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican, told reporters. “But we’re saying we do want to take up this bill as soon as we are, and we think that’ll be Monday.”
Schumer, a New York Democrat, called up the vote even though Republicans urged him to wait until they agreed on how to pay for the bill and after the text of the legislation became available.
In a floor speech Wednesday, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, called the vote a stunt.
“Today, the Democratic leader appears to be intent on calling a vote that he knows will fail,” McConnell said.
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Schumer has not indicated yet whether he will call the measure up again.
The bipartisan agreement is strongly favored by President Joe Biden and is meant to serve as a springboard for Democrats to find agreement on a much larger spending package that would fund social programs.
