Biden backs Schumer holding key vote on infrastructure deal that's likely to fail

Senate Republicans working on a bipartisan infrastructure deal warned Majority Leader Chuck Schumer they won't help on high-stakes infrastructure vote Wednesday.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday he would hold a key test vote on a bipartisan infrastructure deal -- even though the Republicans involved in the talks say they won't give Democrats the votes they need to meet the Senate's 60-vote threshold to start debate on the bill. While Schumer's effort appeared doomed to fail -- handing him and President Joe Biden at least a temporary political loss on a top priority -- the White House said Wednesday the president was "extremely supportive" of Schumer's strategy aimed at jump starting negotiations on the measure that would spend $1.2 trillion on "traditional infrastructure." "This vote is not a deadline to have every final detail worked out. It is not an attempt to jam anyone," Schumer said on the Senate floor Wednesday morning. "According to the negotiators, spurred on by this vote this afternoon –- they are close to finalizing their product," he argued. "Even Republicans have agreed that the deadline has moved them forward more quickly. We all want the same thing here – to pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill. But in order to finish the bill, we first need to start."