House Democrats unveiled a $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan Thursday that calls for a huge increase in funding to repair roads and bridges while expanding broadband access in rural areas.
The bill, known as the Moving Forward Act, includes $25 billion for drinking water, $100 billion for broadband, $70 billion for clean energy projects, $100 billion for low income schools, $30 billion to upgrade hospitals, $100 billion in funding for public housing and $25 billion for the postal service. But its largest component is a $500 billion Democrat-led bill from the House Transportation Committee that has sparked Republican complaints of exclusion.
According to the article, tensions on the Transportation Committee have flared largely over the green measures included in the bill, requiring states to account for climate change before undertaking projects.
Democrats described the bill as “the biggest legislative effort to fight climate change,” according to The Hill. They also said the package would make the promise of building infrastructure in a green and resilient way.
Though Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has said he does not want to include infrastructure with coronavirus relief, passage of the House measure could put added pressure on the upper chamber to take action next month. House Democrats have passed their $3 trillion HEROES Act and Senate Republicans have yet to draft their next Covid-19 relief package.
Republicans have raised concerns about the cost of legislation. Democrats have yet to outline how they will pay for the bill. They said with the interest rates where they are now, there’s never been a better time to “go big.”
