Senators Face Decisions on Trillions in New Spending

WASHINGTON, DC – The Senate will consider two major pieces of legislation this week, and both will add trillions of dollars of new spending in the name of infrastructure.

Of course part of the debate to this point has been what the definition of infrastructure is, with most Republicans arguing it is roads, rail, waterways, utilities, and communication networks.

President Biden’s definition has been expanded to also include expansion of Medicare and other social programs, climate and environmental initiatives, tax increases, free pre-K, free community college, climate regulations on utilities, and green cards for undocumented workers – all known as “human infrastructure”.

So to pass legislation that fits both definitions, Senate staffers have been scrambling to assemble a bill expected to reach 10,000 pages to cover the traditional infrastructure needs while a budget bill being developed by Senate Democrats on the Budget Committee should total $3.5 trillion.

The infrastructure bill requires bipartisan support (60 votes or more) while the latter is expected to pass via a partisan reconciliation process.

The question now becomes how to pay for the new spending. The infrastructure bill should be self-sufficient through user fees and other appropriations while the budget will need revenue from health care savings, tax-code revisions, and “long-term economic growth”.

Reports also suggest that the proposal calls for funding programs to get to 80 percent clean electricity, 50 percent reductions in carbon emissions, and the funding of a civilian climate corps.
(SOURCE: All Ag News)