Washington D.C. – Trucking’s most influential group on Capitol Hill is pushing the U.S. House of Representatives to approve the Senate’s $1.2 trillion “infrastructure” bill.

On Wednesday, the American Trucking Associations (ATA) took House members to task for not yet passing the Senate’s 2,700-page infrastructure legislation which calls for roughly $555 billion in new federal spending.

“It has now been 50 days since the Senate passed the bipartisan infrastructure bill,” ATA Tweeted. “Waiting on the House.”

The Tweet came complete with a GIF of a man frustratingly stuck in traffic.

It’s now been 50 days since the Senate passed the bipartisan #InfrastructureBill.

Waiting on the House. #InfrastructureNow pic.twitter.com/kJ55PFsYzK

— American Trucking (@TRUCKINGdotORG) September 29, 2021

Also on Wednesday, ATA sent a memo to House members urging passage of the Senate’s bill.

Investments in core, physical #infrastructure are long overdue. We must close our ever-widening infrastructure gap with China. It’s time to begin paving the way for the next American century.

Pass #InfrastructureNow. pic.twitter.com/ndsdbuyVBP

— American Trucking (@TRUCKINGdotORG) September 29, 2021

Reminder: What’s in it?

Among the long list of spending initiatives, the bill specifically dedicates $39 billion for transit, $11 billion for “transportation safety programs,” $66 billion for rail, $7.5 billion to build electric vehicle charging stations, $5 billion for zero/low emissions buses, $17 billion for ports, $25 billion for airports, and $65 billion for broadband.

Only $110 billion will be dedicated to actually repairing America’s crumbling roads and bridges.

Notable Trucking Provisions

The bill also includes controversial provisions such as: mandating newly manufactured heavy-duty commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) be equipped with an automatic emergency braking (AEB) system, an apprenticeship program paving the way for truckers as young as 18 years of age to operate cross-country, and commissioning a national vehicle-miles-traveled (VMT) pilot program including for commercial truckers.

Additionally, the bill calls for forming a task force to study and combat predatory lease-purchase programs.

What it does not include, however, is funding to address a nationwide shortage of parking for truckers.

Will Add $256 Billion to National Debt

While the Biden Administration and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) vowed the legislation would be completely paid for and not add to America’s $28 trillion (and growing) national debt, a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report found it will actually increase the deficit by $256 billion over ten years.

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House Vote Could Happen Tomorrow

Infighting within the Democratic caucus over whether to couple the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill with President Biden’s unprecedented $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation “Build Back Better” social spending plan is threatening to derail their entire legislative agenda.

After promising she would not bring the infrastructure bill up for a vote in the House until the Senate passes the massive reconciliation bill first, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) could soon renege.

Pelosi is reportedly calling a House vote on Thursday even though Senate Democrats are not expected to reach a deal on a reconciliation package any time soon.

However, dozens of progressives in the House have warned without a Senate deal on reconciliation they will not vote to approve the infrastructure bill.

TransportationNation.com will continue to track it for you.