Its passage marks a huge achievement for the Biden administration amid low approval
ratings and a defeat for the Democrats in Virginia's gubernatorial election this week.
Three months ago, 19 Republicans joined with Democrats to approve the legislation in the
evenly split Senate, a rare bipartisan feat in an increasingly divided Congress.
On Friday the bill passed the House with support from 13 Republicans, too. But more
liberal lawmakers balked at its final version, complaining that key liberal policies had been
dropped in exchange for the bipartisan win.
IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS
Image caption,
The bill provides funding to upgrade highways, roads and bridges, among other key
projects
Six Democrats voted against it, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ilhan
Omar of Minnesota. The group of six - dubbed The Squad - are among the most left-wing
and progressive members of the House.
Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus pledged they would not support the
infrastructure bill until they had voted on a separate social welfare bill that allocates
$1.75tn for healthcare, education and climate change initiatives.
If passed, it would usher in the biggest expansion of the US safety net in more than 50
years.
Democrats control both chambers of Congress by very slim majorities, so near-universal
support would be required for the bill's passage.
