Republican Senators Produce $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill With Democrats
Republicans proving once again they love spending and big government just as much as the Democrats.
Oh, look. We have another trillion-dollar bill in President Joe Biden’s first year. This is, what, the fifth one in the first seven months? So gross.
Republicans are not caving. Only a few Republicans in government care about fiscal responsibility. The majority are big government and big spending politicians, just like their counterparts.
The bill is 2,702 pages.
There it is. The bipartisan infrastructure bill pic.twitter.com/0vypuMIQFw
— Leigh Ann Caldwell (@LACaldwellDC) August 1, 2021
From Reuters:
Senators said the 2,702-page bill included $550 billion in new spending over five years for items such as roads, rail, electric vehicle charging stations and replacing lead water pipes on top of $450 billion in previously approved funds.
“I believe we can quickly process relevant amendments and pass this bill in days,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said of the legislation after it was announced by a bipartisan group of senators.
“This is a really important bill because it takes our big, aging and outdated infrastructure in this country and modernizes it. That’s good for everybody,” said Senator Rob Portman, the lead Republican negotiator.
- $110 billion for roads and bridges
- $73 billion for power grid updates
- $66 million for rails and Amtrak
- $65 billion for broadband expansion
- $55 billion for clean drinking water
- $39 billion for transit
The government will look inside itself to pay the bill. One way is “selling off billions of dollars worth of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve starting in 2028.” They will also use leftover COVID relief money, extend budget cuts, and delay implementing a Medicare drug rebate rule.
Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden ranted about people not paying taxes on cryptocurrency. A bipartisan group said extending “some tax reporting rules to cryptocurrency brokers” would give the government tens of billions of dollars.
The Senate might pass the bill this week.
The bill would head to the House of Representatives, where Democratic leadership will pair it with the “human-infrastructure” bill that costs $3.5 trillion.
“Human-infrastructure” is code for Progressive Far-Left Pet Projects.
Trillion. Will we ever see a bill under a trillion again? I doubt it.
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Republicans are not caving.
really???
Really. They’ve sold us out for decades.
Mcconnell. He’s been in chargw for decades.
Here’s how this REALLY breaks down:
$110 billion for roads and bridges:money to contractors will be kicked back to the democrat party, including into the pockets of everyone who voted for this stupid thing – including McConnell.
$73 billion for power grid updates: see above
$66 million for rails and Amtrak: see above
$65 billion for broadband expansion: see above – on STERIODS: billions will go to Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Twitter, etc. – in other words, bribes to keep up the propaganda.
$55 billion for clean drinking water: they must think we’re drinking KoolAid. See: Flint Michigan:
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/flint-water-crisis-everything-you-need-know
$39 billion for transit: “transit”? Meaning, transit of bribes for votes.
Complete b.s.
And it COULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED WITHOUT THE GOP AND MCCONNELL.
For years, the Republicans have thrown red meat to the “conservative” voters.
“Vote for us and we will mandate “voluntary” (Christian) prayer in the classroom, keep them-thar awful homasekshuls from pushing their Gawdless agenda blargle blargle blah blah!!!”
Meantime: the US remains in the UN, carries most of the NATO and SEATO burden, we still pay for NPR, we still pay for someone’s 1 : 1-scale train layout, allow tax dodges for allegedly American companies to export jobs, and will soon be burdened with providing “free” internet.
We really DO need a new party; converting the Republican party to one that actually represents the actual conservatives is a hopeless task.
The GOP: the party of INVERTEBRATES!
Caving would imply opposition not in evidence.
As last as the morning it was still being written yet they are ready to vote on it. nThe unfortunate part is too many low IQ people out there think this is fantastic. We have no idea of the PORK.
INFLATION ? – “THAT’S JUST A RIGHT-WING TALKING POINT”
Progressives are the first to take issue with “American Exceptionalism” but when it comes to the budget and economy they are the first to tell you that America can print money to infinity because of American’s exceptional position as the world’s reserve currency. Janet Yellen has bought into the bullshit – she and many other economic PhDs have lost their minds with the woke bullshit. They are betting their reputations and America’s future on a reckless approach that is doomed.
The reality is that the US dollar is only the reserve currency because of America’s perceived stability and fiscal stewardship. If you blow that – it will take years to regain it. Meanwhile China and others are desperately waiting for the USA to make a mistake. They know that if they can capture the economic high ground – they win – it’s game over.
Inflation is a way borrowers (like the US government) destroy the principal of the lenders. And lenders have long memories. Look at Argentina which defaulted 20+ years ago and still has to pay a premium rate to attract capital. Lenders want stability. If they can get it in the US – they will go to China or elsewhere. That’s why Biden and Yellen are digging a national grave for America.
THIS IS A NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE. SOMEBODY IN THE NATIONAL SECURITY SYSTEM HAS TO WAKE UP.
Correction – last paragraph says “If they can get it in the US” >> Should be “if they can’t”
THESE DAYS – REALITY IS A RIGHT WING TALKING POINT
I guess you get more votes when you feed people pipe dreams and bullshit. What ever polls well. Tell people what they want to hear and they’ll love you for it.
Now we know what Republicans have been doing wrong all these years.
Maybe have the clerk read the bill? Does that take too long? Too bad, write simple, short legislation with clear and concise language. Remove all the ‘the secretary shall promulgate’ BS and do your job. Stop outsourcing the writing of legislation to your big $ campaign donors.
The main reason the Congress is held in contempt by the People is that you pontificate on TV instead of legislating and forcing tough votes. Beware that the contempt felt for you doesn’t devolve to indifference.
At that point you won’t enjoy the consent of the governed who just might not be as willing to remain governed as you believe. Hopefully our political leadership will recognize the path the danger inherent in the path we are on and will reverse course. I have my doubts.
Read it? I’m looking at the photo of that intern just carrying it, and thinking how unfortunate he is that a face mask doesn’t filter out stench.
If Biden’s reckless policies result in China taking the economic lead as the world’s reserve currency – it will be the single most disastrous calamity to impact America since Pearl Harbor. In fact, it will be 1,000x worse than Pearl Harbor in terms of its impact on America’s future. It will result in financial system dislocations that will ripple through the US because we will no longer control our financial destiny. You may as well start to learn to speak Chinese. Furthermore, Biden will go down in history as the worst President America has ever suffered. All the people who enables the disaster will have their reputations forever tarnished.
If crashing the US economy is the objective – Biden is off to a great start.
Biden? Biden has no idea what any of this means. He suffers dementia and it is getting worse. They prop him up to mumble a few phrases then bring him back to the WH and give him ice cream and a blanket while they plot the next bill designed to “transform” our country.
This is what losing both GA Senate races delivered.
It’s what the woke want
America on her knees
No matter what the costs
I’m so sick of these RINO pieces of shit.
There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in this bill that we ‘need’.
‘Crumbling infrastructure’ is the new bullshit tag line that they’ve attached to HOW MANY FUCKING BILLS NOW?????
We sure as fuck don’t need to piss yet ANOTHER trillion dollars away on payoffs and backroom deals so Bitch McConnell can collect his share.
I thought we fixed all the “crumbling bridges” when we printed $800B in new paper money to fund all those “shovel ready jobs” under the last grifter to hold the office.
It pays to be a Democrat in the construction business. Remember when Mafia used to fix construction projects to skim $. >> They were amateurs.
Notice that Trump wanted to get an infrastructure bill – but was blocked by Pelosi.
I guess it’s easier for them when they’re spending the money of people who won’t be born for 100+ years.
These unethical POS eGOP are stealing this money from our grandchildren. And, they are proud of the theft.
Thank God for that wily old genius Mitch McConnell. He sure maneuvered the Democrats right into a corner didn’t he? I guess that comes from being a senator for 100 years.
The GOP is worse than ever. We need to get the Trump steamroller moving ASAP.
It’s ironic that you mention Trump as he wanted to pass an infrastructure bill but couldn’t get it dont
making all new cars have drunk driving sensors within 3 years is somehow infrastructure.
good thread
https://twitter.com/Oilfield_Rando/status/1422019064273178626
Was just about to post that same thing.
This is a fucking JOKE of a bill. And that’s BEFORE they use reconciliation to cram the rest of the House bill into it.
And the piece of trash RINOs will fall all over themselves to vote for it.
The RINO party is unsalvageable with ‘leadership’ like McConnell.
Unless my math is wrong that list only makes up 408 billion. Where is the rest going?
Where ever they want it to.
I’m sure there’s a Gulag to be built somewhere.
Nowhere good. This Twitchy thread is beyond infuriating: https://twitchy.com/samj-3930/2021/08/02/studies-on-people-hitting-deer-infrastructure-oilfield_rando-goes-through-infrastructure-bill-line-by-line-and-its-hilariously-infuriating/
Haven’t had time to attempt to read the thing. Did they decide state abortion was also infrastructure?
Heard that was in the House one, but didn’t know if it had hit the Senate one yet.
I suspect that abortion, both pre- and post- natal, will be included in the House bill, along with building the infrastructure to expedite the latter. It will be bipartisan.
Subotai Bahadur
My understanding is it already is in the House bill. But it doesn’t become law until its gone through the Senate and been signed.
I’m trying to find out if it’s in the Senate bill as well.
I haven’t read it, either, but there is no mention of abortion in the Twitchy thread, but there’s plenty to anger anyone who is not woke.
We need to toss the Marxists out of the Republican party
Portman’s going away present, he and a bunch of repubs who drew this up aren’t running in 2022 and have to defend what’s in it.
The Uniparty is in agreement. Infrastructure is good under Biden and bad under Trump. They weren’t getting the Usual kickbacks under Trump’s plan
Great Maker. Why do we even try to distinguish between Republicans and democrats when there is virtually no difference whatsoever between the two political parties in Congress. They all talk up a good talk on the campaign trail but when the organic matter hits the rotary mechanism they collapse like flan in the oven and give the democrats everything they want. Disgusting. Need to vote all these losers out. Now.
One failure in a uniparty state is that they assume as a matter of faith that no matter what they do, the number of boxes is infinite. A difference that makes no difference IS no difference.
“Citizenship is an attitude, a state of mind, an emotional conviction that the whole is greater than the part. and that the part should be humbly proud to sacrifice itself that the whole may live.” — RAH
Being a subject does not require that state of mind, and in the absence of such, legitimacy is in question.
Subotai Bahadur
I don’t understand your comment. Was boxes a typo for something else, like bucks? What boxes?
The first box, of a limited stock of them, is the soapbox.
Subotai Bahadur
The establishment wings of both parties believe the people are to be RULED. That power is Top-Down. Populists believe the power comes from the people and any government that does not serve the people is illegitimate. That’s a founding principle of America. The problem is Populists are divided. The conservative populists believe in the power of people as individuals – the liberal populists believe in people as a collective group. If Populists could set aside their differences – they would be in power. But the establishment is very good as playing up their differences and dividing the Populists.
Republicans are not caving. Only a few Republicans in government care about fiscal responsibility. The majority are big government and big spending politicians, just like their counterparts.
This is the best description of our present political situation that I have ever read at LI.
I never understood the criticism about the deficit NeverTrumpers constantly leveled against Trump, as if everything was nice and fiscally sound before he took office. Reagan was the last GOP leader who had any ideas on how to shrink the size of government, and his own party deserted him. Since then no Republican President, no Republican President candidate, no Majority or Minority Leader in the House or Senate has done anything except pay lip service to the deficit (Trump included)
But Trump wasn’t elected and re-elected to shrink the deficit. He won because the rich elite running both parties had declared war on the American people. Trump was the “Up your f****** a**!” to the crooks and creeps of both parties.
Now those crooks and creeps are going back to Business As Usual.
Democrats wildly increase spending, and raise taxes to cover it. Republicans attempt not to raise them any further, but cut taxes, thereby increasing the debt. Neither approach is sustainable, but no one has thought of a third way, and it’s possible there isn’t one. The US is irrevocably fated to die of consumption, the only real question is how long it will take the hammer to come down.
The political reality is that once a gibs program is enacted, it will never, never, EVER be repealed, short of the sun going nova. That’s why Pelosi pled, bribed, strongarmed, and outright threatened congressmembers to get enough votes to pass Obamacare, because she knew once it was passed, it would be written in stone forever. That’s why we still have a Department of Education, despite numerous GOP pledges to dismantle it.
Well, the Democrats are in power, so it’s expansion season again.
My kingdom for an edit function.
“Republicans attempt not to raise SPENDING any further…”
“Republicans attempt not to PRAISE spending any further…”
Rand Paul had a short lived campaign back in 2016, he quit the presidential run to run for re-election to the senate. He is one of the few who fights against excess spending as part of his regular platform.
It appears that the only difference between Republicans and Democrats is how to spend the money we do not have. A compromise is when they both get to spend money. The little people are to be exploited and ruled. Corrupt and evil are both parties.
*Actual infrastructure not included
We the People need to hang half the senators and half the representatives to get the f*****g attention of the other halves of both bodies of Congress, and hopefully the executive and the judiciary…AND…the most powerful branch of government, the UNELECTED BUREAUCRAT Branch of government.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
Typical Republican politicians just want a piece of the action, from corporate donors and from taxpayers. Party platforms and promises appealing to conservatives are just to get elected. That’s why Trump, who really aimed to do the right things, was and is a threat to them.
If I convert my USD to any other currency I don’t pay capital gains unless I am an actual licensed investor (or licensed represenattive of a rich person) rather than an average Joe.
Why should I have to pay taxes on crypto? I don’t even have government protection with crypto? What are they giving me in return for this new tax on crypto holdings?