Senate prepares for procedural vote on bipartisan infrastructure bill as negotiators near deal

Washington — The Senate on Wednesday is poised to move ahead with a key procedural vote to advance a $579 billion bipartisan infrastructure framework that is a pillar of President Biden's economic agenda, even as senators continue working to finalize the details of the plan.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer set Wednesday's preliminary vote as a deadline to nudge the bipartisan group of senators negotiating the specifics of the measure to find a deal. Talks between members of the bipartisan coalition continued into Tuesday night, with senators striking an optimistic tone that outstanding issues could be resolved as soon as Wednesday. But legislative text has yet to be released, and Republican Senate leaders have warned they don't believe their members will vote to begin debating a bill they haven't yet seen, denying Democrats the 60 votes needed for the measure to advance.