(L-R) U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), Sen. Jon Tester (R-MT) and Sen. After a meeting at the White House with President Joe Biden on June 24, 2021, Rob Portman (R.OH) arrives at the U.S. Capitol.The Senate is under pressure to pass President Joe Biden’s broad agenda. Senators are trying this week to finish and move a bipartisan infrastructure package.Democratic and Republican legislators plan to release a bill Monday that would allocate $579 billion for transportation, broadband, and utilities. Senators have been unable to finalize the legislation due to disputes over transit funding.Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican, was the lead negotiator for the GOP. He spoke on ABC's "This Week". Portman said he felt "good about getting the deal done this week" and pointed out that transit money was the biggest obstacle to a deal.According to NBC News, Democratic senators and White House officials sent a counteroffer to the GOP that would address all remaining sticking issues. It is not clear if the Republicans will accept this proposal.While the group was trying to complete the bill, the Senate voted against the advancement of the framework. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), is the Senate Majority Leader. He can bring the procedure back up once the legislation has been released.Democratic leaders are racing to pass the infrastructure plan as well as a second partisan bill to invest in child care, education, and efforts to reduce climate change. Biden sees both parts of his agenda as essential to boosting the economy as well as creating a stronger social security net for the United States as it emerges from the ashes of the coronavirus pandemic.
