Proposal for $550 Billion in New Infrastructure Spending Passes Key Senate Vote

The vote comes after a bipartisan working group spent months on the plan

Published July 28, 2021 • Updated on July 28, 2021 at 5:20 pm

the Capitol in Washington — AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File

Hours after a bipartisan working group of lawmakers announced a deal on a major infrastructure package, it passed a key test vote Wednesday in the Senate.

The Senate voted 67 to 32 to begin debate on the measure, getting 17 Republicans to sign on, more than the 10 needed to break a filibuster.

The proposal includes $550 billion in new spending to build roads, public transit and other priorities of President Joe Biden, injecting a windfall of money into a series of transportation projects that have long enjoyed support from both parties.

"It is a big deal," Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill, told NBC News.