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The Senate voted on Wednesday to take up a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill that would make far-reaching investments in the nation’s public works system, as Republicans joined Democrats in clearing the way for action on a crucial piece of President Biden’s agenda, the New York Times reported. The 67-to-32 vote, which included 17 Republicans in favor, came just hours after centrist senators in both parties and the White House reached a long-sought compromise on the bill, which would provide about $550 billion in new federal money for roads, bridges, rail, transit, water and other physical infrastructure programs. Among those in support of moving forward was Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). McConnell’s backing signaled that his party was — at least for now — open to teaming with Democrats to enact the plan. The deal still faces several challenges to becoming law, including being turned into formal legislative text and clearing final votes in the closely divided Senate and House. If enacted, the measure would be the largest infusion of federal money into the public works system in more than a decade. The compromise, which was still being written on Wednesday, includes $110 billion for roads, bridges and major projects; $66 billion for passenger and freight rail; $39 billion for public transit; $65 billion for broadband; $17 billion for ports and waterways; and $46 billion to help states and cities prepare for droughts, wildfires, flooding and other consequences of climate change, according to a White House official who detailed it on the condition of anonymity.

Disagreements over expanding the Internal Revenue Service have snarled lawmakers’ efforts to firm up their roughly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure agreement before an initial vote next week gauging the deal’s support, the Wall Street Journal reported. In an hourslong meeting Thursday afternoon with White House officials, Republicans and Democrats who have spent weeks negotiating the deal again grappled with how to pay for it. Lawmakers and aides said the group may abandon an effort to raise revenue through enhanced enforcement at the IRS after some Republicans said they were concerned about granting the tax agency new power. Dropping that proposal would mean the group would need to find alternative ways to cover the full cost of the spending, roughly $600 billion of which is above projected future federal spending on roads, bridges, and water projects. Republicans had already questioned whether the plan would be fully paid for through a mix of repurposed federal funds, IRS enforcement, and public-private partnerships. “We’ve got a long way to go, payfors are still a big part of this that we really don’t have resolved yet,” said Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), one of the 11 Republicans who had previously endorsed the contours of the agreement. Eleven members of the Democratic caucus also have previously signed onto the deal, which a smaller group of lawmakers and President Biden first announced last month. Prodding the bipartisan lawmakers to close out their agreement, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said yesterday that he would hold a procedural vote on the infrastructure agreement on Wednesday. Schumer also set a Wednesday deadline for Democrats to reach an agreement on a $3.5 trillion blueprint for approving much of President Biden’s legislative agenda, including investments in child care, education, and healthcare programs. Top Democrats have linked the two pieces of legislation, hoping to keep Democrats unified behind both efforts while attracting Republican support for the infrastructure plan.

U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Alan Koschik gave Akron-based Energy Harbor a three-month delay in filing documents that detail how four hired guns intervened in Ohio Statehouse politics and House Bill 6, the Columbus Dispatch reported. Last year, Judge Koschik told four men at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld to give him answers about their involvement in legislative races and getting the energy bill passed. Energy Harbor hired Akin Gump, an international law firm, to help with its bankruptcy and lobbying efforts. In January, Judge Koschik agreed to a six-month delay to getting answers. Energy Harbor attorney Jonathan Streeter yesterday told Judge Koschik that the men completed the "declarations" but making those statements public while Energy Harbor cooperates with federal prosecutors would be detrimental. Energy Harbor needs more time to cooperate with federal prosecutors in secret, he argued. Energy Harbor, formerly known as FirstEnergy Solutions and owner of two nuclear power plants in northern Ohio, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2018 and emerged in February 2020. During that time, state lawmakers passed a $1.3 billion bailout bill that would provide a subsidy to keep the nuclear plants operating as well as other perks to utilities.