Bipartisan group reaches agreement on $1.2 trillion hard infrastructure bill
28 July 2021
After weeks of long nights and endless Zoom calls, a bipartisan group of senatorsfinally reached a deal on Wednesday for their $1.2 trillion "hard" infrastructure package.
Why it matters: It will likely be days before the group finishes writing the bill, but the Senate can begin debating the legislation in earnest now that they have resolved the outstanding issues,
- Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday that the Senate could vote as early as Wednesday night to advance the proposal, the second time they will vote on this procedural measure.
- Schumer also insists he's prepared to keep the Senate in session over the weekend to finish the bipartisan infrastructure bill: "It’s time for everyone to get to yes,” he announced on the floor on Monday.
Details: The deal is expected to cost $1.2 trillion over eight years, or $974 billion over five years, and offers more than $579 billion in new spending.
What they're saying: “We now have an agreement on the major issues," Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), the lead GOP negotiator, announced Wednesday afternoon.
Behind the scenes: The deal comes hours after Portman and White House counselor Steve Ricchetti huddled for hours at the Capitol Tuesday night hashing out the remaining sticking points of the bill.
- The biggest problems revolved around transit policy and how to pay for the package, among other hurdles.
- On Wednesday morning, Sens. Portman, Susan Collins (R-Maine), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Bill Cassidy (R-La.) met with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in his office.
- McConnell so far has taken a hands-off approach to the talks. This meeting signals the group is ready to bring him into the fold.
What's next: Schumer has made clear that both the bipartisan bill and the Senate's $3.5 trillion budget resolution need to pass prior to August recess, which as of now is still scheduled to begin in just two-and-a-half weeks.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.