Senate infrastructure talks in political jeopardy as infighting spills out into the open

[Zorro]

Source: Washington Post

Lawmakers had hoped to meet self-imposed Monday deadline but disagreements keep piling up.

Negotiations between Senate Democrats and Republicans over a roughly $1 trillion infrastructure package appeared to be in political jeopardy on Monday, as lawmakers continued to feud publicly over how to dole out the money and finance the new federal spending.

The impasse arrives after lawmakers toiled away into the weekend over their proposal to improve the nation’s roads, bridges, pipes, ports and Internet connections. Republicans including Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah initially hoped to finalize a more robust blueprint as soon as Monday so that the long-stalled debate could finally start, but the prospect now seems unlikely given the sheer scope of policy obstacles that negotiators must resolve.

Lawmakers must still sort through lingering disputes over how to spend billions of dollars to upgrade the country’s railways, for example, along with thorny policy issues around broadband spending — including efforts by Democrats to ensure Internet access is affordable.

Both sides also have failed to come to terms on the formula for doling out money to improve the nation’s highways, as well as the exact funding available for water improvements. And lawmakers remain at odds over provisions sought by Democrats that aim to ensure any federal spending to improve infrastructure will pay workers prevailing wages to do the job.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/07/26/senate-infrastructure-negotiations/

---

Surprise, surprise...

[guillaumeb]

1. Ask GOP Representative Chip Roy about the GOP approach to compromise.

Their only goal is to delay and obstruct and hope to take control of one or both chamber of Congress in 2022.

[WHITT]

2. Gee Couldn't See That One Comin'

The Repubs can't pay for their plan, which is too small anyway. The Dems don't want the Repubs gas tax, and privatization corporate welfare, and the Repubs refuse to undo FAILED tax cuts for the Rich & Corporate.

[Lovie777]

3. republicans never intended anything in good faith ....

Now their satan master have instructed them - no go with the infrastructure bill....

[Midnight Writer]

4. Duh.

[oasis]

5. Past time for Sen.Joe Manchin to wake up, smell the coffee

and strike a death blow to the filibuster.

[Rebl2]

9. Will

Never happen.

[paleotn]

11. There's two bills.....

The bipartisan version, which has run aground. And the reconciliation version which doesn't need an end to the filibuster.

[Calista241]

13. provided none of our senators sell their soul for a bipartisan deal.

which is a distinct possibility.

[Deminpenn]

6. O'Donnell predicted weeks ago there would

be fits and starts and many stories about how the deal was "failling apart", but based his experience and knowledge, the deal would get done.

[PortTack]

7. Thune said weeks ago that they would be able to pull out at the last minute if they wanted to

They NEVER intended to pass an infrastructure bill. All their rantings have been just that with the sole purpose of running out the clock and trying to make Biden and the Dems look bad

[hibbing]

8. "lawmakers toiled away"....hahahahahahhahaha n/t

[paleotn]

10. As expected....

Thus, the reconciliation bill. Ok, Joe Manchin. Tried it your way, now fulfill your end of the bargain.

[yaesu]

12. quit trying to deal with the fascists. nt

[MuseRider]

14. Somewhere in the middle of all this

political fighting there has to be at least enough people that remember the end goal?

They work for us not for themselves and if they actually worked for us they WOULD be doing the best job for themselves ever.

It makes me nauseous and so so angry every time this happens. It is all about them. I am a waverer about term limits but this is just sickening. How long has it been since a lot of positive was done that was not immediately erased or cut up? We are ground to a halt and the planet is warning us and we have to deal with children.

[pazzyanne]

15. Enough is enough!

This is becoming a huge waste of time. We need a solution to the problem - now!

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

16. Dems: work on the infrastrcture must "pay workers prevailing wages."

Well, that's a deal-breaker for the GQP. They're used to paying slave wages, and they wouldn't even pay that much if it weren't for minimum wage laws. I'm surprised the Repugs didn't insist on a provision that made child labor acceptable again. They still mourn the Supreme Court's decision in 1941 which ruled the Fair Labor Standards Act was constitutional.This law set minimum wages to 40-cent an hour, restricted the child work week to 40 hours a week, and restricted children under 16 from working in manufacturing plants and mining. Damned liberals!

[Firestorm49]

17. Oh no, you can't touch taxing the rich! Oh no, you can't expand investigating IRS tax avoidance!

You can only add a gasoline tax so “everybody” can participate. Bullshit. Tax the wealthy. They won’t even feel the pain.

Why is it that under Obama, little got accomplished - Mitch McConnell, “I will do everything in my power to make Obama a one term President.” And now that the Idiot in Chief has been reduced to a sorry footnote in American history, Republicans, with no shame whatsoever, still seem to be able to stop progress in the name of money and party, knowing full well that their thinking is festered with rot.