Senators work on dual infrastructure proposals with time running out before August recess

Washington — Senators are drafting two large infrastructure bills after months of negotiations, but hurdles remain in bringing the bills to the floor ahead of August recess, when lawmakers will leave Washington for several weeks.

A bipartisan group of senators and their staff are finalizing the language for a nearly $1 trillion bill that primarily addresses surface transportation and "traditional" infrastructure priorities, as well as some climate-related provisions on electric vehicles, a deal that has the support of President Biden. But some Republicans outside of the team of core negotiators have raised concerns about how the package will be paid for, expressing skepticism about the proposal to fund part of it through tax enforcement. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said that he would like to bring the bipartisan deal to the Senate floor by the week of July 19, but it's unclear whether the language of the bill will be finalized by then. The bill will need support from 10 Republicans along with all 50 Democrats to advance, and while 11 Republicans had previously suggested they would vote for the bipartisan proposal, some of them now seem to be getting cold feet.