Senate Democratic leaders announced an agreement Tuesday to advance a $3.5 trillion spending plan that the party hopes to pass on top of a bipartisan infrastructure bill via reconciliation.
The story: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said the $3.5 trillion, dubbed as “human infrastructure,” would be included in the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure agreement. The proposal is expected to feature provisions on climate change, Medicare, and education.
Schumer said that the deal would include “robust expansion of Medicare” and benefits like hearing, vision, and dental coverage, as well as funding for clean energy.
The goal of the package is to deliver on the parts of President Joe Biden’s $1.8 trillion “families” plan and $2.3 trillion “jobs” proposal that won’t make it into the separate bipartisan deal.
Schumer’s comments: “We are very proud of this plan. We know we have a long road to go. We’re going to get this done for the sake of making average Americans’ lives a whole lot better,” he said, according to CBS News. “If we pass this, this is the most profound change to help American families in generations.”
He also announced that Biden will join Senate Democrats at their caucus lunch on Wednesday.
“Joe Biden is coming to our lunch tomorrow to lead us on to getting this wonderful plan that affects American families in a so profound way, more than anything that’s happened to generations,” Schumer told reporters. “We are very proud of this plan. We know we have a long road to go. We’re going to get this done for the sake of making average Americans’ lives a whole lot better.”
No margin for error: Democrats plan to pass the bill via reconciliation with allows for expedited consideration of certain spending, tax, or limit legislation, under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. This means that Democrats can pass the legislation with a simple majority and avoid a filibuster.
To do so in the evenly divided 50-50 Senate, where Vice President Kamala Harris breaks the tie, they would need all Democratic votes.
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