Congress nears passage of bipartisan infrastructure package, extends current authorization

With the current surface transportation authorization set to expire over the weekend, Congress passed a short-term extension of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, the current authorization, that will run until Dec. 3.

Earlier this afternoon the House appeared close to voting on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package, but Democrats were unable to come to an agreement on a vote for a separate $1.75 trillion reconciliation package, the framework of which was released today.

A number of House progressives have signaled they would be unwilling to vote on the IIJA unless an agreement to vote on the reconciliation package was finalized. Meanwhile, House Republican leadership pushed their members to oppose the measure, despite bipartisan support.