As the stimulus package hits the Senate floor for debate tonight, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) is trying to add transportation dollars for both roads and transit. Her office says she’ll propose an amendment to the Senate on Tuesday that would add up to around $25 billion worth of funding for infrastructure, including about $18 billion for roads and transit (most of it for roads, and about $5 billion for transit.)
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is also sponsoring the amendment.
The amendment would push the total amount of money alloted for highway work up to $40 billion from $27 billion. Proportionally, the increase in mass transit dollars is even higher: The amendment would bring the total figure to $13.4 billion from around $8.4 billion.
The bill also increases the amount of money spent on water-related infrastructure projects from $6 billion to $13 billion.
“This amendment invests in tried and true projects that get laid-off workers back on the job and pave the way for future economic strength,” Murray said in a statement. “These are the investments mayors and governors across the country are asking for and this amendment answers the call.”
Although Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) isn’t listed as one of the amendment’s co-sponsors, he is reportedly heading a large-scale bi-partisan effort to quell concerns from both sides of the aisle about the stimulus bill.
Murray and Feinstein’s amendment is one of several that will push the final price tag of the bill up to nearly $900 billion as compared the $819 billion House package. The final bill will face a Senate vote on Wednesday.
