Hyde-Smith votes to hit the brakes on starting infrastructure debate
Published 4:21 pm Wednesday, July 21, 2021
Senator Unwilling to Put Unfinished Trillion-dollar Legislation on Glide Path to Passage without Seeing Actual Text
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today voted against starting debate on proposed bipartisan infrastructure legislation that hasn’t actually been written, saying Senators should be able to study bill text of measure that spends more than $1.2 trillion.
Despite Democratic leadership claims that the Wednesday vote “is not a cynical ploy,” the Senate failed to reach the 60-vote threshold to take up a placeholder bill for an eventual infrastructure plan.
“I am all for working together to address long-neglected upgrades to our nation’s infrastructure. There are certainly plenty of projects and needs in Mississippi. However, when we’re talking about spending well over $1 trillion, I am not willing to put that legislation on a glide path to passage without seeing details and how it will be paid for. We need to get this right,” Hyde-Smith said.
“Let’s also not forget that a bipartisan infrastructure bill is just one part of a two-part Democratic hustle. They are still scrambling to finalize a gigantic $3.5 trillion reckless tax-and-spend plan,” she said.