ASCE scored a significant legislative victory this week with the Senate passage of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The bipartisan bill passed by a vote of 69 – 30, with 19 Republicans joining Democrats. The legislation marks the largest U.S. infrastructure investment in generations; $550 billion in new spending over the next five years for the nation’s roads, bridges, rail, airports, clean water, public transit, and school facilities – all infrastructure sectors that ASCE has been advocating for over the last three decades with its Report Card for America’s Infrastructure.
Shortly after passage, ASCE publicly applauded the Senate for not only passing the IIJA, but for proving once again that the strength and reliability of our nation’s infrastructure systems is an issue that unites us all. Senate passage is a noteworthy step toward the realization of the kind of legislation that ASCE members have championed for decades.
The bill now moves to the House of Representatives, where the timeline for consideration remains unclear. However, after the bill passed, Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Peter DeFazio (D-OR), announced that he would no longer try to conference the House’s INVEST in America Act with the Senate bill but will instead focus any changes on the reconciliation bill. This a strong signal that the House will not try to change the Senate bill but instead take up the bipartisan Senate bill as currently written, with little to no room for amendments. ASCE strongly encourages the House to take up the IIJA as soon as the week of August 23rd, when the House will be in session to pass a budget resolution. A variety of funding mechanisms within the IIJA, including over $300 billion in surface transportation revenue from the FAST Act, will expire in the fall and must be reauthorized quickly to ensure state and local governments do not lose access to federal resources for any stretch of time.
For further details about what made it in the final Senate bill, please check out ASCE’s memo on the IIJA.