Construction Groups Voice Uncertainty Over New Infrastructure Deal
Date Posted: July 1, 2021
Posted In: Discussion,
From Equipment World: Is this the infrastructure compromise to end all compromises, or will it suffer the fate of so many other attempts to boost spending on the nation’s deteriorating roads, bridges and other foundation structures?
That’s the question now facing infrastructure boosters after President Joe Biden and a bipartisan group of senators agreed to an eight-year, $1.2 trillion package. The deal calls for $579 billion in new spending.
The agreement still faces approval in the Senate, where 60 votes will be needed for it to pass, and in the House, where the speaker has said that Democratic priorities in a separate budget bill must also pass.
Biden had said the deal was contingent on separate passage of his other Build Back Better priorities that focus on families, which critics said did not fit in an infrastructure plan. Those budget priorities would be part of a reconciliation package that could pass the Senate with a simple majority, but that process rankles Republicans. Soon after catching criticism for tying the two separate legislative proposals together, Biden backed off the statement that he would not sign one without the other.
Construction industry-related groups that are pushing for increased infrastructure investment didn’t seem too enthusiastic about the proposal. Words like “encouraged” and “important step” were used in their public statements.
They also expressed uncertainty as to what the plan ultimately would entail and about its being tied to Biden’s other priorities.
“While this plan does appear to have bipartisan support, the path forward remains unclear, as Speaker Pelosi announced that she would not move similar legislation in the House until the Senate passed both the bipartisan infrastructure bill and partisan reconciliation infrastructure bill,” said the Associated General Contractors of America. “In addition, there are a significant amount of details that have yet to be determined.”