Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021

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The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA) was a federal bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on November 15, 2021. To read the full text of the bill, click here.

According to the White House, the key features of the bill included:[1]

  • $89.9 billion in new infrastructure funding and reauthorizations
  • $66 billion in funding for Amtrak maintenance and development
  • $40 billion in new funding for bridge repair, replacement, and rehabilitation
  • $55 billion in funding for clean drinking water
  • $65 billion in funding to create universal access to reliable high-speed internet
  • $65 billion in funding for clean energy transmission and power infrastructure upgrades

The original Democratic infrastructure proposal had outlined $2.6 trillion in spending, including on additional sectors such as public housing and research and development. The $1.2 trillion Senate bill allocated $550 billion in new spending on transportation, water and power infrastructure, and pollution cleanup, in addition to regular annual spending on infrastructure projects.[2][3][4]

The Senate passed the bill on August 10, 2021, with bipartisan support by a vote of 69-30.[5] The House passed the bill in a 228-206 vote on November 5, 2021, with 215 Democrats and 13 Republicans voting in favor of the bill and six Democrats and 200 Republicans voting against it.[6][7]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) initially said in August that she would not take up the bill in the House until the Senate also passed a $3.5 trillion budget resolution.[8] The House had been expected to vote on the bill by September 27 as part of a nonbinding commitment in the budget resolution, but Pelosi deferred the vote to September 30.[9][10] No floor vote was held, and Pelosi deferred the vote twice more to October 1 and then October 31.[11][12][13] The House voted to approve the bill on November 5, 2021.

This page provides the following information about the IIJA:

Timeline

The following section provides an abbreviated timeline of key actions related to IIJA:[14]

  • November 15, 2021: President Joe Biden (D) signed the bill into law.[14]
  • November 5, 2021: The House passed the bill in a 228-206 vote.[14]
  • October 31, 2021: On October 2, Pelosi announced October 31 as the new deadline for consideration of the infrastructure bill.[12]
  • October 28, 2021: The House was expected to vote on the bill, but no floor vote was held.[15][16]
  • October 1, 2021: The House was expected to vote on the bill, but no floor vote was held.
  • September 30, 2021: The House was expected to vote on the bill, but no floor vote was held.[10][17][18]
  • September 27, 2021: The House was initially expected to vote on the bill, but Pelosi deferred the vote three days.[10]
  • August 10, 2021: The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 69-30.
  • August 8, 2021: The Senate ended debate by a vote of 68-29.
  • August 7, 2021:The Senate advanced to final debate by a vote of 67-27.
  • July 30, 2021: The Senate voted to proceed to consideration of the bill by a vote of 66-28.
  • June 30, 2021: The House passed the bill with amendment by a vote of 221-201.
  • June 4, 2021: Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) introduced the bill in the House as the INVEST in America Act.

Details of the bill

Bipartisan infrastructure agreement

President Joe Biden (D) meets with senators to discuss infrastructure bill in June 2021.

A bipartisan group of 10 senators, led by Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), developed an alternative infrastructure proposal.[19][20]

The members of the bipartisan working group were:


President Joe Biden (D)'s original infrastructure proposal announced in March 2021 had outlined $2.6 trillion in spending. The bipartisan agreement for a new infrastructure bill would allocate $550 billion to transportation, water and power infrastructure, and pollution cleanup. Other sectors, such as public housing and research and development, would be excluded[2]

Including spending regularly allotted annually for highways and other infrastructure projects, the bill would total $1.2 billion.[21]

Comparison of original and bipartisan proposals[2]
Areas Original Democratic proposal Bipartisan proposal
R&D manufacturing $566 billion $0
Housing, schools, and buildings $387 billion $0
Home- and community-based care $400 billion $0
Clean energy tax credits $363 billion $0
Power infrastructure $82 billion $73 billion
Resiliency, water storage $50 billion $50 billion
Broadband $100 billion $65 billion
Water infrastructure $111 billion $55 billion
Roads and bridges $154 billion $110 billion
Road safety $19 billion $11 billion
Airports $25 billion $25 billion
Public transit $77 billion $39 billion
Electric vehicles $157 billion $15 billion
Railways $74 billion $66 billion
Ports and waterways $17 billion $17 billion
Reconnecting communities $24 billion $1 billion
Cleaning up abandoned wells and mines $16 billion $21 billion[22]

Summary of the original bill

The following bill summary was prepared by the Congressional Research Service for the original bill:

“

This bill addresses provisions related to federal-aid highway, transit, highway safety, motor carrier, research, hazardous materials, and rail programs of the Department of Transportation (DOT).

Among other provisions, the bill

  • extends FY2021 enacted levels through FY2022 for federal-aid highway, transit, and safety programs;
  • reauthorizes for FY2023-FY2026 several surface transportation programs, including the federal-aid highway program, transit programs, highway safety, motor carrier safety, and rail programs;
  • addresses climate change, including strategies to reduce the climate change impacts of the surface transportation system and a vulnerability assessment to identify opportunities to enhance the resilience of the surface transportation system and ensure the efficient use of federal resources;
  • revises Buy America procurement requirements for highways, mass transit, and rail;
  • establishes a rebuild rural bridges program to improve the safety and state of good repair of bridges in rural communities;
  • implements new safety requirements across all transportation modes; and
  • directs DOT to establish a pilot program to demonstrate a national motor vehicle per-mile user fee to restore and maintain the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund and achieve and maintain a state of good repair in the surface transportation system.[23]
 ”
—Congressional Research Service[24]


Congressional action

Roll calls

Senate vote (August 10, 2021)

The Senate voted 69-30 to pass the bill with amendment on August 10, 2021.[14]

  • All 48 Democrats voted to pass the bill.
  • The two independents who caucus with Democrats also voted to pass the bill.
  • 19 Republicans voted to pass the bill.
  • 30 Republicans voted against the bill.
  • One Republican did not vote.

House vote (November 5, 2021)

The House voted 228-206 to pass the bill on November 5, 2021.[14]

  • 215 Democrats voted to pass the bill.
  • 200 Republicans voted against the bill.
  • 6 Democrats voted against the bill:
  • 13 Republicans voted to pass the bill.

Connection to budget resolution

See also: Build Back Better Act

Overview

The infrastructure bill was working through Congress parallel with the Build Back Better Act. Previously, the infrastructure bill had been working through Congress parallel with the initial $3.5 trillion budget resolution bill, which the Senate agreed to on August 11, 2021, by a vote of 50-49.

On November 5, the House passed the infrastructure bill after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called for the vote. Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said the caucus would vote to approve the infrastructure bill without a vote on the final legislative text of the Build Back Better Act.[25]

Pelosi initially said she would not take up the infrastructure bill until the $3.5 trillion budget resolution had passed. Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus also indicated that they would not support the infrastructure bill before the budget resolution.[26][27]

Nine House Democrats countered Pelosi, saying in a letter on August 12 that they would not consider supporting the budget plan until the infrastructure bill was made law. The letter was signed by the following representatives:[26]


In August, with three vacancies in the House, Democrats had a 220-212 majority in the chamber.

On August 24, the House agreed to a resolution to advance both the budget and infrastructure bills by a party-line vote of 220-212. The resolution also advanced the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and set September 27 as the deadline to consider the infrastructure bill.[28][29]

On October 28, a revised framework for the budget bill, the Build Back Better Act, was released. Pelosi said a vote on the infrastructure bill would be held that day, but no vote was held.[30][31] Jayapal, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, released a statement reiterating the caucus' position that it would not vote on the infrastructure bill without a vote on the Build Back Better Act.[32]


Intraparty disagreement prior to the approval of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021

Progressive Democrats in both chambers urged party leadership to prioritize the budget reconciliation bill over the infrastructure bill. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said on September 21, 2021, that she and members of her caucus would vote against the infrastructure bill if the budget bill was not passed first.[33] She added that Congress should postpone the infrastructure vote because Congress needed more time to come to an agreement on the reconciliation bill.[34]

Eleven senators, including Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), issued a joint statement on September 22, 2021, calling for party leadership to continue with the plan to pass the budget bill before the infrastructure bill. They said, "Congress must not undercut the president’s proposals that will create new opportunities for America’s families and workers."[35]

Moderate Democrats criticized the size and scope of the initial $3.5 trillion budget bill. Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) said, "It would have to be way under $1 trillion for me to get remotely interested."[36] Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) similarly said, "“[W]hile I will support beginning this process, I do not support a bill that costs $3.5 trillion."[37]

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) wrote an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal opposing the initial $3.5 trillion budget bill. "Establishing an artificial $3.5 trillion spending number and then reverse-engineering the partisan social priorities that should be funded isn’t how you make good policy," Manchin said.[38]

On October 28, a revised version of the initial $3.5 trillion budget bill was released as the Build Back Better Act. Regarding the revised bill, Manchin said "I’ve worked on good faith and I look forward to continuing to work in good faith," and Sinema said negotiations "have made significant progress on the proposed budget reconciliation package."[39] Jayapal released a statement saying: "Congress needs to finish the job and bring both bills to a vote together. This cannot be accomplished without legislative text [for the Build Back Better Act] that can be fully assessed and agreed upon by all parties."[40]

Pelosi deferred the infrastructure vote from the initial deadline of September 27 to September 30. She said in an interview, “I’m never bringing a bill to the floor that doesn’t have the votes." Jayapal said she believed there were around 60 votes against the bill if it went to the floor before the budget bill passed.[10][41] That deadline was later extended through October 31.

Republicans in the House were also divided over the bill heading into the vote. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said he opposed the bill because of its connection to the budget measure. "You don't get millions of dollars for roads and broadband. What you get is $5 trillion of more inflation, you get a bigger socialist government, you get harm to our economy," he said.[42][43]

Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) similarly said, "President Biden saddling infrastructure with this $3.5 trillion albatross around its neck was a poison pill for those of us who wanted a bipartisan solution."[44]

Several Republican members of the Problem Solvers Caucus said they would support the bill, including Reps. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), and Don Bacon (R-Neb.).[44] Reed said, "I am a hard yes on the bipartisan $1.2 trillion deal that got 19 Republican votes in the Senate. It's a good bill. It's a compromise bill, and that to me is good legislation—sound policy that I'm proud to support."[45] Bacon said, "I get to vote ‘yes’ on one, ‘no’ on the other. I don’t think it’s linked."[46]

Key legislation during Biden administration

This section provides links to coverage of key federal legislation considered during the Biden administration. To be included, the bill must have met several of the following qualifying factors:

  • Collaboration between the president and congressional leadership on the bill
  • Use of the reconciliation process to pass the bill
  • Changes to the congressional procedure to pass the bill
  • Estimated cost of the bill as evaluated by the Congressional Budget Office
  • Extent of public relations campaign to promote the bill
  • Domestic and international policy ramifications

Legislation in the 118th Congress

Legislation in the 117th Congress

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ White House, "UPDATED FACT SHEET: Bipartisan Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act," accessed August 2, 2021
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The New York Times, "The Infrastructure Plan: What’s In and What’s Out," July 28, 2021
  3. ↑ CNBC, "Here’s what comes next for the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill," August 2, 2021
  4. ↑ Reuters, "Factbox: What's in the U.S. Senate's bipartisan $1.2 tln infrastructure plan?" July 28, 2021
  5. ↑ Washington Examiner, "Senate passes bipartisan infrastructure bill ahead of battle over budget," August 10, 2021
  6. ↑ The New York Times, "House Passes $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill, Putting Social Policy Bill on Hold," November 5, 2021
  7. ↑ Fox News, "Biden hails ‘long overdue’ infrastructure bill after it passes House with GOP votes: ‘Just getting started'," November 6, 2021
  8. ↑ The New York Times, "House progressives won’t vote for the infrastructure bill unless the Senate approves $3.5 trillion in other spending," August 10, 2021
  9. ↑ CNBC, "House Democrats clear path toward passing $3.5 trillion budget bill and infrastructure plan after breaking stalemate," updated August 25, 2021
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 The New York Times, "Pelosi Announces Vote on $1 Trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill," September 26, 2021
  11. ↑ Politico, "Another big day for Biden’s presidency: What to watch," October 1, 2021
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 The Hill, "Pelosi sets end-of-October deadline for infrastructure vote," October 2, 2021
  13. ↑ Fox News, "Pelosi delays vote on infrastructure bill as Dems fail to reach deal: LIVE UPDATES," October 1, 2021
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 Congress.gov, "H.R.3684 - INVEST in America Act," accessed August 3, 2021
  15. ↑ The Hill, "Pelosi vows to bring infrastructure to vote on Thursday," October 28, 2021
  16. ↑ Reuters, "U.S. House puts off vote on infrastructure bill leaders had aimed for," October 28, 2021
  17. ↑ CNN, "Pelosi says it was a 'very productive and crucial day' in new Dear Colleague letter," September 30, 2021
  18. ↑ The Week, "Pelosi and Manchin may be closing in on a deal. Sinema says Democratic leaders are 'fully aware' of her priorities," October 1, 2021
  19. ↑ Rob Portman, U.S. Senator for Ohio, "Portman, Bipartisan Senators’ Statement on Bipartisan Infrastructure Agreement," June 10, 2021
  20. ↑ The New York Times, "An Unlikely Pair, Portman and Sinema Steer Infrastructure Deal," July 30, 2021
  21. ↑ The Washington Post, "What’s in the $1.2 trillion Senate infrastructure package," August 10, 2021
  22. ↑ Including Superfund sites
  23. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  24. ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.3684 - INVEST in America Act," accessed August 3, 2021
  25. ↑ The New York Times, "Progressives withhold their support for the $1 trillion infrastructure bill, demanding more tangible progress.," November 9, 2021
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Politico, "9 Dems threaten mutiny over Pelosi’s budget plan," August 13, 2021
  27. ↑ The New York Times, "House progressives won’t vote for the infrastructure bill unless the Senate approves $3.5 trillion in other spending," August 10, 2021
  28. ↑ CNN, "House approves $3.5 trillion budget plan in key step for Democrats to pass legislation expanding social safety net," August 24, 2021
  29. ↑ House Clerk, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 258," accessed August 24, 2021
  30. ↑ The Hill, "Pelosi vows to bring infrastructure to vote on Thursday," October 28, 2021
  31. ↑ Reuters, "U.S. House puts off vote on infrastructure bill leaders had aimed for," October 28, 2021
  32. ↑ Congressional Progressive Caucus, "Congressional Progressive Caucus Statement Regarding Vote on Infrastructure Bill and Build Back Better Act," October 28, 2021
  33. ↑ CNN, "Progressives say they plan to vote against bipartisan infrastructure bill next week," September 21, 2021
  34. ↑ The Hill, "Jayapal says Sept. 27 vote on infrastructure is 'arbitrary deadline,'" September 22, 2021
  35. ↑ The Hill, "11 senators urge House to pass $3.5T package before infrastructure bill," September 22, 2021
  36. ↑ Roll Call, "Moderate Democrats not monolithic about their budget concerns," September 21, 2021
  37. ↑ The Washington Post, "Joe Manchin gets all the attention. But Kyrsten Sinema could be an even bigger obstacle for Democrats’ spending plans," September 15, 2021
  38. ↑ Wall Street Journal, "Why I Won’t Support Spending Another $3.5 Trillion," September 2, 2021
  39. ↑ The Hill, "Manchin, Sinema sidestep saying if they support Biden framework," October 28, 2021
  40. ↑ Congressional Progressive Caucus, "Congressional Progressive Caucus Statement Regarding Vote on Infrastructure Bill and Build Back Better Act," October 28, 2021
  41. ↑ The Washington Post, "Pelosi punts infrastructure bill as progressives claim 60 votes against it," September 27, 2021
  42. ↑ NPR, "Republicans Are Split On The Infrastructure Bill, But It's Mostly A Messaging Fight," September 29, 2021
  43. ↑ Washington Examiner, "McCarthy opposes infrastructure bill despite Senate GOP support: ‘Different situation now’," September 23, 2021
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 The New York Times, "Republicans at Odds Over Infrastructure Bill as Vote Approaches," September 29, 2021
  45. ↑ Twitter, "New Day," September 24, 2021
  46. ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "House Republicans Confront Dilemma on Infrastructure Vote," September 29, 2021
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