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Senate votes to advance bipartisan infrastructure bill as Democrats forge ahead with ambitious economic agenda

POINTS

• The Senate voted to push ahead with a bipartisan infrastructure plan, which will start the process of debating and amending the bill.
• The plan is set to put $550 billion in new money into transportation, utilities and broadband.
• Senators voted 67-32 to advance the bill; 17 Republicans and all 50 Democrats voted yes.
• Democrats aim to pass the legislation along with a separate plan to invest in child care, paid leave, education and measures to curb climate change.

The Senate voted Wednesday to advance a bipartisan infrastructure plan, a critical step toward Democrats passing their sweeping economic agenda.

Senators voted 67-32 to push the bill forward; 17 Republicans and all 50 Democrats voted yes.

The vote opens the process to debate and amend the proposal, which would put $550 billion into transportation, broadband and utilities. While senators who backed the procedural motion could oppose a final package, Wednesday’s vote bodes well for its chances of passage.

The deal came together earlier in the day after Democratic and Republican negotiators resolved disputes over transit and broadband funding, among other issues. The plan was trimmed from the $579 billion in new spending senators and the White House agreed to last month — a sum many Democrats considered paltry.