“There’s a framework of agreement on a bipartisan infrastructure package,” Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said, exiting the meeting. “There’s still details to be worked out.”
Senators declined to disclose details of their agreement but stressed that the group had agreed not just on the spending levels for various infrastructure projects, but also on how to pay for it. An earlier framework reached by the senators — which did not have White House approval — included $974 billion of spending over five years, including $579 billion in new projects and initiatives.
Other tasks that remain for the bipartisan group of Senate negotiators include briefing their leadership and their respective caucuses. But, Collins said, “I’m optimistic that we’ve had a breakthrough.”