Lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill after the summer recess and remain divided on the $3.5 trillion human infrastructure bill.
Sen. Joe Manchin, (D-WV), a crucial vote in the Senate, is making it extremely difficult for Democrats to make a deal. In a Wall Street Journal Op-Ed, Manchin called on lawmakers in Congress to hit “a strategic pause” on spending over concerns of inflation and government spending.
President Joe Biden has been traveling the country, pushing his domestic agenda. An essential part of his ‘Build Back Better’ plan is to address human infrastructure needs.
“To truly build the economy from the bottom out and the middle out, to truly deal everybody in this time, we need to invest in our people, we need to invest in our people,” he said during a speech in Crystal Lake, Illinois.
Not one Republican has come forward to support the bill. U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) shot down the need for human infrastructure in an interview on Fox Business.
“$3.5 trillion of so-called human infrastructure. What I can tell you is human infrastructure is not going to do a God damn thing for my constituents that have seen flooding in their basements, streets flooding. What we need is true, real infrastructure,” said Rep. Malliotakis.
Unlike the $1.2 trillion traditional infrastructure plan, this bill will provide investment in areas like education, housing, healthcare, and climate change.
