“Infrastructure week” has been a running joke for the last four years of the Trump administration, which lacked the focus and then the votes to get it done. Thanks to recent, surprising results in the House of Representatives elections, it might happen next year, regardless of who becomes president.

In July, the House voted for the INVEST in America Act, also known as the green infrastructure bill. It was opposed by many transportation lobbies and was thus considered a dead letter in the Republican-controlled Senate. Congress punted by passing a temporary reauthorization instead.