President Joe Biden will sign the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package into law on Monday at the White House, surrounded by a bipartisan group of members of Congress.
Biden To Hold A Signing Ceremony With Both Democrats and Republicans Present
In a recently published article in The Hill, Biden will be joined at the event by a bipartisan group of governors and mayors, as well as labor unions and business representatives. According to the source, members of Congress who assisted in the drafting of the law will be there.
The president will do a victory lap after completing a bipartisan achievement in his first year in office. Biden ran on his ability to work with Republicans on both sides of the aisle after months of debate over the amount of the Infrastructure Bill.
Meanwhile, the White House did not say who would be in attendance at the event, whether members of Congress, stakeholders, or other authorities. It is not also clear if Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, who voted in favor of the bill, will be in attendance, according to a published article in ABC News.
Biden Touts the Benefits of Infrastructure Bill
On Wednesday, Biden made an appearance in Baltimore to extol the legislation's advantages. The President claimed the law would solve the supply chain problem by upgrading ports and decreasing congestion while speaking at the Port of Baltimore.
The package provides $550 billion in additional federal infrastructure expenditures over five years, including money for ports, airports, trains, roads, bridges, and public transportation. Hundreds of billions of dollars will be spent on strengthening internet infrastructure and the electrical grid, as well as a statewide network of electric car chargers.
President Joe Biden said during his visit to Baltimore that "By investing in our roads, bridges, ports and so much else, this will make it easier for companies to get goods to market more quickly," according to a published article in Reuters.
Passage of the Infrastructure Bill
The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill was finally approved in the House by a vote of 228-206, with 13 Republicans voting with the majority of Democrats, a decision that was swiftly criticized by members of their party, including former President Donald Trump.
In a speech over the weekend, Biden praised the bill's passing but said that he would not sign it until members of Congress who assisted in its passage could attend the signing ceremony. This week, the House and Senate are both out of session, and some members of Congress and administration officials are traveling abroad.
The bill is an important aspect of Biden's domestic program, and the White House has been working to sell it to the public since it cleared the House. Biden discussed the benefits of the measure at the Port of Baltimore on Wednesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the White House is working with Democrats on Capitol Hill to pursue the second part of his program, a $1.75 trillion climate and social spending package that Democrats want to approve via budget reconciliation without Republican backing.