The big business lobby is urging lawmakers to quickly pass the so-called “infrastructure” bill, crafted by a group of Senate Democrats and Republicans, that was officially unveiled on Sunday evening.
In a campaign, the Chamber of Commerce — representing corporate interests — is urging members of Congress to “enact infrastructure legislation now” ahead of the August recess.
“We are taking nothing for granted, and we’re continuing to work with every senator to guarantee growing support through this process to get to the final passage vote,” Chamber of Commerce executive Ed Mortimer told The Hill.
Likewise, executives with the Business Roundtable — which also represents corporate interests — announced their support for the bill, asking Congress to pass the bill “as soon as possible.”
“The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act presents a significant opportunity to modernize our nation’s physical infrastructure and reach the full productive potential of the U.S. economy,” the group said in a statement:
This legislation also contains important policies to unlock private capital, encourage public-private partnerships, improve the permitting process and ensure our nation’s infrastructure is sustainable and resilient. And importantly, the bill contains provisions to make certain the benefits of infrastructure modernization reach rural and traditionally underserved communities across the country.
As Breitbart News has detailed, the bill would, among other things:
- Allow federal agencies to bypass “Buy American” rules
- Define “gender identity” as a protected class of citizens
- Provide no funding for a border wall at the U.S.-Mexico border
- Impose state-mandated carbon reduction programs
- Use racial quotas to expand broadband across the U.S.
- Fund processing centers to quickly move migrants into the U.S.
The big business lobby is hoping the bill is tied to a filibuster-proof reconciliation package that would give amnesty to millions of illegal aliens — a boon for corporate interests who have long sought to inflate the U.S. labor market, drive down the price of labor, and grow the number of consumers in the country to boost profit margins.
The bill was crafted by nine Senate Republicans and a group of Senate Democrats. The Senate Republicans include Richard Burr (R-NC), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Rob Portman (R-OH), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Thom Tillis (R-NC).
Meanwhile, 18 Senate Republicans supported advancing the bill through the Senate without ever reading the legislation’s final draft, including Roy Blunt (R-MO), Richard Burr (R-NC), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Rob Portman (R-OH), Jim Risch (R-ID), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Todd Young (R-IN), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Hoeven (R-ND), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Mike Rounds (R-SD).
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.