Schumer Heads for Infrastructure Vote Defeat as Talks Drag
- Republicans say bipartisan group won’t meet Wednesday deadline
- Some hope seen for deal by end of week or next week on bill
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s attempt to begin Senate debate Wednesday on a still-unfinished bipartisan infrastructure bill is on track to fail, with Republicans saying that there is no way a deal can be reached by then and that they won’t vote to open debate without text spelling out the deal.
A bipartisan group of 22 senators announced a deal on a $579 billion infrastructure outline with President Joe Biden nearly one month ago, but have been unable to agree on the details of the package -- particularly how to pay for the new spending. Schumer on Monday scheduled a Wednesday test vote to begin debate and would need 60 votes, including 10 Republicans if all Democrats and independents vote yes.