Nebraska senators split on infrastructure vote

WASHINGTON (KOLN) - The Senate has approved the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan.

Senate leaders in Nebraska, U.S. Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE), a member of the Senate Finance and Budget Committees and U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), voted on different sides of the infrastructure bill.

Fischer, a senior member of the Senate Commerce Committee and the top Republican on the Surface Transportation Subcommittee, voted in favor of the bill.

“This bipartisan bill makes long-awaited investments to rebuild and develop our nation’s core infrastructure. While not perfect, it includes resources for Nebraska in the key areas I wanted to see such as roads, bridges, water infrastructure, airports, and broadband,” Fischer said. “I am also pleased that the bill includes provisions I pushed for such as increased flexibility for livestock haulers and assistance for communities in rural America to meet transportation needs.

Sasse, who voted not in favor of the bill, issued the following statement opposing the $1 trillion infrastructure bill.

”This $1 trillion infrastructure bill continues to spend money our country doesn’t have — and contrary to lots of Enron-style accounting claims, no, it won’t pay for itself. As a backdrop, U.S. consumer prices are the highest in 13 years — and this out-of-control inflation isn’t slowing down. Washington just spent $2 trillion in March; Majority Leader Schumer and Speaker Pelosi are spending another trillion here; and they’re teeing up Bernie Sanders’ $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill tonight. This is more money than Washington has ever spent before. Net net: yes, infrastructure is important, but doing it the right way is more important,” Sasse said.

The package would provide almost $550 billion in new spending over five years for roads, bridges, broadband internet, water pipes and other public works systems.

With the infrastructure bill now in the rearview, the Senate turns next to Biden’s bigger package, a $3.5 trillion plan with debate likely to extend into the fall.