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TheInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA) was a federal bill passed by the117th Congress and signed into law by PresidentJoe Biden (D) on November 15, 2021. To read the full text of the bill, clickhere.

According to the White House, the key features of the bill included:^[1]

• $89.9 billion in new infrastructure funding and reauthorizations
• $66 billion in funding for Amtrak maintenance and development
• $40 billion in new funding for bridge repair, replacement, and rehabilitation
• $55 billion in funding for clean drinking water
• $65 billion in funding to create universal access to reliable high-speed internet
• $65 billion in funding for clean energy transmission and power infrastructure upgrades

The original Democratic infrastructure proposal had outlined $2.6 trillion in spending, including on additional sectors such as public housing and research and development. The $1.2 trillion Senate bill allocated $550 billion in new spending on transportation, water and power infrastructure, and pollution cleanup, in addition to regular annual spending on infrastructure projects.^[2][3][4]

The Senatepassed the bill on August 10, 2021, with bipartisan support by a vote of 69-30.^[5] The Housepassed the bill in a 228-206 vote on November 5, 2021, with 215 Democrats and 13 Republicans voting in favor of the bill and six Democrats and 200 Republicans voting against it.^[6][7]

House SpeakerNancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) initially said in August that she would not take up the bill in the House until the Senate also passed a $3.5 trillionbudget resolution.^[8] The House had been expected to vote on the bill by September 27 as part of a nonbinding commitment in the budget resolution, but Pelosi deferred the vote to September 30.^[9][10] No floor vote was held, and Pelosi deferred the vote twice more to October 1 and then October 31.^[11][12][13] The House voted to approve the bill on November 5, 2021.

This page provides the following information about the IIJA:

• Bipartisan infrastructure agreement: Senators in the bipartisan working group and changes to the original bill.
• Summary of the original bill: A Congressional Research Service summary of the original bill.
• Timeline of congressional action: Key dates and votes relating to the bill's passage.
• Connection to budget resolution: An overview of how Congress is considering the infrastructure bill alongside a budget resolution.

Timeline

The following section provides an abbreviated timeline of key actions related to IIJA:^[14]

• November 15, 2021: PresidentJoe Biden (D) signed the bill into law.^[14]
• November 5, 2021: The House passed the bill in a 228-206 vote.^[14]
• October 31, 2021: On October 2, Pelosi announced October 31 as the new deadline for consideration of the infrastructure bill.^[12]
• October 28, 2021: The House was expected to vote on the bill, but no floor vote was held.^[15][16]
• October 1, 2021: The House was expected to vote on the bill, but no floor vote was held.
• September 30, 2021: The House was expected to vote on the bill, but no floor vote was held.^[10][17][18]
• September 27, 2021: The House was initially expected to vote on the bill, but Pelosi deferred the vote three days.^[10]
• August 10, 2021: The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 69-30.
• August 8, 2021: The Senate ended debate by a vote of 68-29.
• August 7, 2021:The Senate advanced to final debate by a vote of 67-27.
• July 30, 2021: The Senate voted to proceed to consideration of the bill by a vote of 66-28.
• June 30, 2021: The House passed the bill with amendment by a vote of 221-201.
• June 4, 2021: Rep.Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) introduced the bill in the House as the INVEST in America Act.

Details of the bill

Bipartisan infrastructure agreement

President Joe Biden (D) meets with senators to discuss infrastructure bill in June 2021.

A bipartisan group of 10 senators, led byRob Portman (R-Ohio) andKyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), developed an alternative infrastructure proposal.^[19][20]

The members of the bipartisan working group were:

PresidentJoe Biden (D)'s original infrastructure proposal announced in March 2021 had outlined $2.6 trillion in spending. The bipartisan agreement for a new infrastructure bill would allocate $550 billion to transportation, water and power infrastructure, and pollution cleanup. Other sectors, such as public housing and research and development, would be excluded^[2]

Including spending regularly allotted annually for highways and other infrastructure projects, the bill would total $1.2 billion.^[21]

Summary of the original bill

The following bill summary was prepared by theCongressional Research Service for the original bill:

Congressional action

Roll calls

Senate vote (August 10, 2021)

The Senate voted 69-30 to pass the bill with amendment on August 10, 2021.^[14]

• All 48 Democrats voted to pass the bill.
• The two independents who caucus with Democrats also voted to pass the bill.
• 19 Republicans voted to pass the bill.
• 30 Republicans voted against the bill.
• One Republican did not vote.

House vote (November 5, 2021)

The House voted 228-206 to pass the bill on November 5, 2021.^[14]

• 215 Democrats voted to pass the bill.
• 200 Republicans voted against the bill.
• 6 Democrats voted against the bill:

• Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.)
• Cori Bush (D-Mo.)
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)
• Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)
• Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.)
• Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.)

• 13 Republicans voted to pass the bill.

• Don Bacon (R-Neb.)
• Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.)
• Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.)
• Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio)
• John Katko (R-N.Y.)
• Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.)
• Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.)
• David McKinley (R-W.Va.)
• Tom Reed (R-N.Y.)
• Christopher H. Smith (R-N.J.)
• Fred Upton (R-Mich.)
• Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.)
• Don Young (R-Alaska)

Connection to budget resolution

See also:Build Back Better Act

Overview

The infrastructure bill was working through Congress parallel with theBuild Back Better Act. Previously, the infrastructure bill had been working through Congress parallel with theinitial $3.5 trillion budget resolution bill, which the Senate agreed to on August 11, 2021, by a vote of 50-49.

On November 5, the House passed the infrastructure bill after House SpeakerNancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called for the vote.Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) ChairPramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said the caucus would vote to approve the infrastructure bill without a vote on the final legislative text of theBuild Back Better Act.^[25]

Pelosi initially said she would not take up the infrastructure bill until the $3.5 trillion budget resolution had passed. Members of theCongressional Progressive Caucus also indicated that they would not support the infrastructure bill before the budget resolution.^[26][27]

Nine House Democrats countered Pelosi, saying in a letter on August 12 that they would not consider supporting the budget plan until the infrastructure bill was made law. The letter was signed by the following representatives:^[26]

In August, with three vacancies in the House, Democrats had a 220-212 majority in the chamber.

On August 24, the House agreed to a resolution to advance both the budget and infrastructure bills by a party-line vote of 220-212. The resolution also advanced the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and set September 27 as the deadline to consider the infrastructure bill.^[28][29]

On October 28, a revised framework for the budget bill, theBuild Back Better Act, was released. Pelosi said a vote on the infrastructure bill would be held that day, but no vote was held.^[30][31] Jayapal, the chair of theCongressional Progressive Caucus, released a statement reiterating the caucus' position that it would not vote on the infrastructure bill without a vote on the Build Back Better Act.^[32]

Intraparty disagreement prior to the approval of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021

Progressive Democrats in both chambers urged party leadership to prioritize the budget reconciliation bill over the infrastructure bill. Rep.Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the chair of theCongressional Progressive Caucus, said on September 21, 2021, that she and members of her caucus would vote against the infrastructure bill if the budget bill was not passed first.^[33] She added that Congress should postpone the infrastructure vote because Congress needed more time to come to an agreement on the reconciliation bill.^[34]

Eleven senators, including Senate Budget Committee ChairmanBernie Sanders (I-Vt.),Cory Booker (D-N.J.),Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.),Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), andElizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), issued a joint statement on September 22, 2021, calling for party leadership to continue with the plan to pass the budget bill before the infrastructure bill. They said, "Congress must not undercut the president’s proposals that will create new opportunities for America’s families and workers."^[35]

Moderate Democrats criticized the size and scope of the initial $3.5 trillion budget bill. Rep.Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) said, "It would have to be way under $1 trillion for me to get remotely interested."^[36] Sen.Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) similarly said, "“[W]hile I will support beginning this process, I do not support a bill that costs $3.5 trillion."^[37]

Sen.Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) wrote an op-ed inThe Wall Street Journal opposing the initial $3.5 trillion budget bill. "Establishing an artificial $3.5 trillion spending number and then reverse-engineering the partisan social priorities that should be funded isn’t how you make good policy," Manchin said.^[38]

On October 28, a revised version of the initial $3.5 trillion budget bill was released as theBuild Back Better Act. Regarding the revised bill, Manchin said "I’ve worked on good faith and I look forward to continuing to work in good faith," and Sinema said negotiations "have made significant progress on the proposed budget reconciliation package."^[39] Jayapal released a statement saying: "Congress needs to finish the job and bring both bills to a vote together. This cannot be accomplished without legislative text [for the Build Back Better Act] that can be fully assessed and agreed upon by all parties."^[40]

Pelosi deferred the infrastructure vote from the initial deadline of September 27 to September 30. She said in an interview, “I’m never bringing a bill to the floor that doesn’t have the votes." Jayapal said she believed there were around 60 votes against the bill if it went to the floor before the budget bill passed.^[10][41] That deadline was later extended through October 31.

Republicans in the House were also divided over the bill heading into the vote. House Minority LeaderKevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said he opposed the bill because of its connection to the budget measure. "You don't get millions of dollars for roads and broadband. What you get is $5 trillion of more inflation, you get a bigger socialist government, you get harm to our economy," he said.^[42][43]

Rep.Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) similarly said, "President Biden saddling infrastructure with this $3.5 trillion albatross around its neck was a poison pill for those of us who wanted a bipartisan solution."^[44]

Several Republican members of theProblem Solvers Caucus said they would support the bill, including Reps.Tom Reed (R-N.Y.),Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), andDon Bacon (R-Neb.).^[44] Reed said, "I am a hard yes on the bipartisan $1.2 trillion deal that got 19 Republican votes in the Senate. It's a good bill. It's a compromise bill, and that to me is good legislation—sound policy that I'm proud to support."^[45] Bacon said, "I get to vote ‘yes’ on one, ‘no’ on the other. I don’t think it’s linked."^[46]

Key legislation during Biden administration

This section provides links to coverage of key federal legislation considered during theBiden administration. To be included, the bill must have met several of the following qualifying factors:

• Collaboration between the president and congressional leadership on the bill
• Use of the reconciliation process to pass the bill
• Changes to the congressional procedure to pass the bill
• Estimated cost of the bill as evaluated by theCongressional Budget Office
• Extent of public relations campaign to promote the bill
• Domestic and international policy ramifications

Legislation in the 118th Congress

• H.R.815: Making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes.
• Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023
• H.J.Res.7: Relating to a national emergency declared by the President on March 13, 2020.
• H.J.Res.30: Providing for congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to "Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights"

Legislation in the 117th Congress

• Respect for Marriage Act of 2022
• Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022
• Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
• Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022
• Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act (amendment to H.R. 5746: NASA Enhanced Use Leasing Extension Act of 2021)
• American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
• Build Back Better Act
• Congressional Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2022
• For the People Act of 2021
• Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021

See also

• 117th Congress
• HR1, "For the People Act of 2021"
• American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
• Filibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress
• Arguments for and against the filibuster, 2021

Footnotes