Bipartisan Infrastructure Agreement Explained: Yes, You Still Need to Send Letters
On Sunday, Congress unveiled the details of a bipartisan infrastructure agreement. The agreement unfortunately does not include any housing provisions, but this package is just the first step in what will be a complicated, multi-step infrastructure package. So, you’re not off the hook on your August advocacy letters this week.
The bipartisan agreement is the product of months of negotiations between the White House and a bipartisan group of Senators. In June, the group announced that it had reached a deal for a nearly $1 trillion package but had been hammering out the specific details of the legislative text since that announcement. The bill text was released over the weekend and the Senate has been working on passage of the bipartisan agreement this week.
The bipartisan package will be accompanied by a budget resolution, which the Senate has yet to craft but is expected soon. The resolution will allow Democrats to move a second, larger infrastructure package without needing the support of their Republican colleagues, who do not agree with the size or scope of the package being discussed. This process is known as reconciliation.
The House will consider both the bipartisan agreement and approve a reconciliation package. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Cali.) has indicated that she will not allow the bipartisan agreement to pass without the reconciliation package.
Housing is expected, but not guaranteed, to be included in this larger reconciliation package. Since the details of the reconciliation package have yet to be determined, your letters this week are timely and incredibly important to this process. The more we speak up in support of housing as infrastructure, the more Congressional offices know that it is a priority for constituents.
Make sure your voice is heard this week in support of housing and community development programs in the infrastructure reconciliation package- send a letter every day to remind your Congressional offices and the White House that housing is critical infrastructure.