Senate Democrats, including Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Budget Committee chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), have agreed on the amount for a Democrat-only infrastructure package: $3.5 trillion.
The Hill reports the deal also greenlights reconciliation, the process Democrats will use to bypass any Republican filibuster on the infrastructure bill.
"The budget committee has come to an agreement. The budget resolution with instructions will be $3.5 trillion," Schumer said, speaking to reporters with Sanders and other members of the panel. "Every major program that President Biden has asked us for is funded in a robust way."
The deal will also include funding for expanding Medicare to cover dental, vision, and hearing and addressing climate change—key requests from progressive Democrats. A Democratic aide familiar with the deal said that the budget resolution will also include language prohibiting taxes from being raised on individuals who make less than $400,000 or small businesses.
Earlier, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) had warned that he wants both a bipartisan infrastructure bill and a separate Democratic-only bill to be fully paid for.
“I think everything should be paid for. We’ve put enough free money out,” Manchin told reporters.
Source: The Hill
