Democrat-controlled House approves large infrastructure bill
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – The Democrat-controlled House approved a $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan Wednesday that would not only rebuild failing roads, railways, ports and transit systems but also fund schools, health care, public utilities, and housing, PBS reported.
Approved by 233-188 votes, the Moving Forward Act provides $100 billion for internet access in rural and low-income communities and $25 billion for updating US Postal Service infrastructure. Key to the legislation is a nearly $500 billion, five-year surface transportation plan for roads, bridges, and railways, PBS said.
The bill also proposes $130 billion to provide high-poverty schools with facilities that would protect the health and safety of pupils and teachers. According to legislators, this section alone could create over 2 million jobs, PBS reported. A further $100 billion would be used to build at least 1.8 million affordable homes. “These investments will help reduce housing inequality, create jobs and stimulate the broader economy,” Democrats said in a fact sheet. Moreover, child care and clean water facilities would be upgraded under the bill.
The White House has already said the president will veto the bill if it gets that far. In a statement, the White House said the plan is “heavily skewed toward programs that would disproportionately benefit America’s urban areas.” And Missouri Rep. Sam Graves, the top Republican on the transport panel added: “Instead of seeking bipartisan solutions, this bill adds $1.5 trillion to the nation’s debt and disguises a heavy-handed and unworkable Green New Deal regime of new requirements as an ‘infrastructure bill.’”
The bill will now pass to the Republican-controlled Senate, where a much smaller bill has been waiting nearly a year for Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. to schedule a floor debate. No date has been given for that debate as yet.
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