After weeks of negotiations, a trillion-dollar infrastructure bill is advancing in the U.S. Senate.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski was part of a bipartisan group that reached the deal with the White House. She told reporters at the Capitol the bill will go a long way toward rebuilding America’s lagging infrastructure “and helping in many parts of the country where infrastructure doesn’t exist at all.”
The Senate voted 67-32 Wednesday to begin debate on the bill. Several more votes lie ahead.
The bill has $550 billion in new spending on infrastructure, with the rest coming from regular federal spending on highways and other transportation. Some of the new spending would be on systems that are especially limited in rural Alaska: broadband, drinking water and sewers
Murkowski said the bill sets good policy for the country.
“This is also important to demonstrate that Republicans and Democrats can come together over really hard stuff, to negotiate in good faith and to negotiate an agreement,” she said.
Sen. Dan Sullivan was one of the 32 Republicans who voted no on advancing the bill. A spokesman said he is waiting to see the bill language.
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Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at lruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Liz here.
