'Options' for Funding Infrastructure Bills: Schumer
Senate Democrats are eyeing “options” for fully funding two tiers of infrastructure legislation, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York told reporters after the Democratic Caucus’ Tuesday meeting. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia earlier told reporters he wants fellow…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
Democrats to prove they can fully pay for a bipartisan infrastructure package that includes $65 billion for broadband (see 2106240070) and a second measure party members believe they can advance without GOP support. “We’ve put enough free money out” already via COVID-19 aid measures, Manchin said. Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member John Thune of South Dakota and other Republicans noted Congressional Budget Office scoring of the bipartisan proposal could affect whether enough of that party’s members support invoking cloture on the plan. Backers of the bipartisan proposal and Democratic reconciliation package were expected to have met Tuesday night to assemble the legislation. Senior Fellow Andrew Long repeated Free State Foundation criticisms (see 2106180057) of the Broadband Reform and Investment to Drive Growth in the Economy Act (S-2071), a measure seen as a likely component of the bipartisan framework. S-2071 “unapologetically rejects the power of competition and the efficient operation of marketplace forces in favor of a backwards-looking public utility model,” Long said.