As it has with previous infrastructure bills, the Senate has undertaken to do the legislative legwork on an infrastructure bill, observers say.
Speaking at a Transportation Construction Coalition legislative briefing, Environment and Public Works (EPW) Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) was quoted by Politico as saying he’s working with “every Democrat” on the committee on a statement of general principles. “We are going to work with the White House, but we’re not going to wait,” he said, adding that EPW was “fully focused on an infrastructure package.”
The House is tied up in knots over health care and tax reform (plus infrastructure does not seem to be a priority for Speaker Paul Ryan). “So somewhere between EPW, Senate Finance, Minority Leader Charles Schumer and, perhaps, the Senate Banking Committee, lies the narrow path to a real proposal,“ says a source.