The Infrastructure Bill and its Implications
Introduction
With the eventual passage of the infrastructure bill in the senate, it is still unlikely that its current version will eventually become law. But while the debate over the state of the American infrastructure is still going on, let us examine the bill itself and its impact on American politics.
Background
On Thursday, July 28th, the Senate agreed to pass a 1-trillion dollars bipartisan infrastructure bill that aims to fix and upgrade American infrastructure, which is in need of improvement in many aspects. The bill was passed after months-long debates between senators of both parties as well as numerous compromises to appease the centrists. This bill is a scaled-down version of the original one that only includes upgrades for physical infrastructure. It includes $550 billion dollars in new spending for roads, bridges, electric grid, broadband internet, drinking water, flooding management, etc. It also cuts back funding for green infrastructure expansion such as electric vehicle charging stations.
Political Implications
For many rank-and-file politicians on both parties, this is a remarkable development since just a week ago, it seemed like the deal would not be able to pass. For them, it shows that bipartisanship is still possible and both parties care for the health of the American infrastructure. But for many freshman progressives and other prominent Democrats in the House, the bill is still too small to make a difference as they demand the expansion of “soft infrastructure” that includes more funding for the social safety net, climate change-resistant initiatives, and better education. Additionally, many progressive Democrats in the House have the power to block the passage of the bill if they think it does not go far enough. For instance, AOC, the Squad, and progressive Democrats have vowed to block the bill if it would not include more aggressive climate change measures and expansion of the social safety net. Furthermore, the far-right wing of the Republican Party has already rejected many portions of the bill, claiming that it spends too much on many unimportant projects. Based on this analysis, it will take at least another month for both houses to agree on the final version of the bill. But if another compromised bill is still being passed and it does not satisfy progressives, the Democratic Party will be at risk of further division as progressives will try everything to make the bill bigger while the establishment refuses to go further.
Historical analogy
To give a historical context to the infrastructure bill that is threatening to divide the Democratic Party. this period of socio-political tension in the United States is in many ways similar to the one before the civil war, where there was a rising progressive movement that demanded changes to the system, while the center on both parties refuse to acknowledge the severity of the crisis the country is facing, and where the fringe of the conservative party is increasingly growing more extreme and violent to achieve own ends. The passage of a compromised bill caused outrages in the fringes of both parties as they perceived it to be a betrayal by their party leaders. The progressive wing went their own way and formed a new party while the far-right took over the party leadership and became more radical to the point where they demanded conflict to “save the country”. Progressives, while started as a small minority in Congress, would continue to gain ground throughout the decade and finally won the presidency at the end of it.
Conclusion
The infrastructure bill will increase funding to areas badly in need of improvement. And while this is an important step, it is still far short of what the rising progressive movement demands, which is an increase in funding for climate-resistant measures and the expansion of social safety nets. But the passage of the bill could risk further divisions within both parties, with the fringes on both sides going their own way or attempting a coup to take over the party leadership. An interesting decade lies ahead with both parties seeming to be on the verge of losing their original identities or collapsing outright, further complicating the state of American politics.