Senate G.O.P. Set to Sink Test Vote on Infrastructure Bill, Pleading for More Negotiation Time

Politics|Republicans are acceptable to artifact an infrastructure measure successful the Senate, pleading for much clip for bipartisan talks.

• July 21, 2021, 8:08 a.m. ET

Republicans were poised connected Wednesday to artifact enactment connected an infrastructure measurement successful the Senate, raising doubts astir the destiny of bipartisan efforts to onslaught a compromise connected a astir $600 cardinal measure to code the nation’s aging roads, bridges and different public-works projects.

Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the bulk leader, opted to unit the ballot adjacent though the measure was unfinished and negotiators were inactive haggling implicit cardinal details, successful an effort to support unit connected to finalize a woody that is simply a large portion of President Biden’s agenda. With Democrats expected to backmost the move, astatine slightest 10 Republicans would person to articulation them to scope the 60-vote threshold to determination past a filibuster and instrumentality up the measure.

But Republicans and immoderate Democrats toiling to hammer retired a last statement urged him to clasp off, saying a premature ballot risked scuttling their chances of success. In a last-ditch determination to hold the process, 11 Senate Republicans were readying a missive to Mr. Schumer pledging to ballot to let the statement to spell guardant connected Monday if a woody had been finalized by then.

“This ballot is not a deadline to person each last item worked retired — it is not an effort to jam anyone,” Mr. Schumer said connected the Senate level up of the vote. “The bipartisan radical of senators volition person galore opportunities to marque their statement the basal of the bill, adjacent if they request a fewer much days to finalize the language.”

Still, successful the lack of last legislation, Republicans warned connected Tuesday that they would artifact the infrastructure debate.

“I deliberation determination are a fig of Republicans that privation to beryllium for an infrastructure bill, who are waiting for this process to reason successful hopes that it volition beryllium thing that they tin ballot for,” said Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the No. 2 Republican. The negotiators, helium said, “feel similar they’re successful a bully place, but they’re not done yet, which is wherefore I deliberation it’s a mistake for Schumer to effort and unreserved this.”

In the period since Mr. Biden and a radical of 10 Republican and Democratic senators announced a woody connected an infrastructure framework, negotiations person focused connected however to operation and concern the legislation. After a marathon of virtual meetings Sunday and Monday, the radical met precocious into the nighttime connected Tuesday to hammer retired the details.

“I deliberation radical fundamentally person an objection to voting for thing that they don’t cognize what they’re voting for,” Senator Bill Cassidy, Republican of Louisiana, said arsenic helium entered an evening gathering successful the Capitol. “There’s thing astir having thing to look astatine — a portion of insubstantial with worldly written connected it — that gives radical comfortableness to support.”

It is unclear what volition hap to the authorities if, arsenic expected, Republicans travel done with their threats artifact it. Mr. Schumer could effort to bring it up again astatine a aboriginal date, but helium has not said whether helium would bash so.