Biden hails passage of ‘monumental’ infrastructure plan

(File photo) US President Joe Biden.

US President Joe Biden yesterday hailed congressional passage of his $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan as a “monumental step forward” after months of tough negotiations. Speaking from the White House, he also insisted that both houses of Congress would pass an even bigger social spending package — the “Build Back Better” plan — despite infighting between the progressive and moderate wings of his Democratic Party. The breakthrough on infrastructure, which gave the embattled president a much-needed win, came shortly before midnight Friday when House lawmakers finally approved a Senate-passed bill by a comfortable 228 votes to 206. “I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to suggest that we took a monumental step forward as a nation” with that vote, said Biden, who appeared clearly energised by the resounding congressional victory. He called the plan “a once-in-a-generation investment that’s going to create millions of jobs,” saying it would also put the country “on a path to win the economic competition of the 21st century that we face with China” and other countries. Looking directly into the camera to address voters across the country — many of them concerned about rising prices, Covid restrictions and bruising political division — Biden said: “This bill is for you... a blue-collar blueprint to rebuild America.” Early Friday, passage was far from assured. Despite hours of cajoling lawmakers, party leaders had risked seeing Biden’s two-pronged legislative strategy — linking the two big packages — collapse as they failed to unite the party’s feuding progressive and moderate factions. The legacy-making vote Friday came at a pivotal time for Biden, as he faced plunging personal approval ratings and a humiliating upset defeat for his Democratic Party in the Virginia gubernatorial election. His spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the success was “proof that delivering for the American people is worth all the painful sausage making.” “Clean drinking water for kids, broadband access, electric vehicles, biggest investment in public transit. It’s happening. And more to come,” she tweeted. Party leaders in the House began the day Friday aiming to rubber-stamp the infrastructure bill — the biggest upgrade of roads, railways, bridges and waterways in decades — after first sending the even bigger Build Back Better deal, worth up to $1.85tn, to the upper chamber.