A bipartisan group of Senators announced they had reached a deal on the framework of an infrastructure package with the White House. President Biden endorsed the plan. However, House Democrats and some Senate Democrats are skeptical the deal will reach 60 votes in the Senate. The deal, as announced, totals roughly $1.2 trillion over eight years and includes $579 billion in new spending. Thus far, at least 11 Senate Republicans have agreed to back this plan. While the bipartisan group continues to sell the ‘physical’ infrastructure plan, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) continues crafting the ‘human’ infrastructure plan outlined by the President as the “American Families Plan.” President Biden, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) hope to pass both bills simultaneously. NRHA will continue to monitor developments on these packages and provide updates to members each week. In the meantime, NRHA continues to advocate that relief for rural providers needs to be included in any infrastructure plan on Capitol Hill. You can find NRHA’s letter to Congressional leadership here.
