House Democrats on Wednesday passed a $1.5 trillion “green” infrastructure plan that would increase funding to fix US crumbling infrastructure while also adding funding for schools and hospitals.
T🍃he measure passed in a largely party-line 233 to 188 vote after the White House i✤ssued a veto threat,
President Trump criticized the bill as “full of wasteful ‘Green New Deal’ initℱiatives,” and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has zero interest in bringing it to the Senate for a vote.
“Naturally this nonsense is not going anywhere in the Senate,” the Kentucky🧔 Republican said We✨dnesday.
Much of the $500 billion in transportation funding in the so-called Moving Forward Act is linked to environmentally friendly provisions that require states to set targets for reducing greenh🐎ouse gas emissions and make other efforts to 🍨combat climate change.
“We are going to deal with the largest source of carbon pollution in the United States of America here and now, today, this week. We’re starting,” House Transportation Committee Chair Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) said,⛎ the website reported.
“We’re going to need millions of good paying jobs, and these aren’t just construction jobs. They’re design, they’re engineering, they’re small business, they’re manufacturing. There’s a host of people, everybody will be touched by this bill, and the investments will provide returns, many,๊ many times over.”
In addition to highway funding, it earmarks more money for public transit, and incl🍒udes large tax breaks for renewable energy sources and other cleanꦕ energy efforts.
Republicans ripped the green measures and the cost of🐲 the package.
“The majority be🐠lieves it’s acceptable to put together a massive bill that’s going to turn our transportation system upside down and add $1.5 trillion dollars in debt,” said Transportation Committee Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-Mo.).