Overview
The Senate does not plan additional votes on the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act until next week, according to Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. Lawmakers intend to address proposed amendments and then move to a vote on final passage when the Senate reconvenes its consideration of the wide-ranging permitting reform bill.
Author and schedule
Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island and one of the bill’s four authors, is currently in Turkey attending the COP 31 United Nations climate change conference. He told reporters by phone that he expects to return by Monday to participate in the next permitting reform vote.
Amendments under consideration
Senators are filing amendments to the bill this week. A group of Democrats led by Representative Adam Schiff of California is seeking to remove provisions related to the National Historic Preservation Act, on the grounds that those provisions would weaken protections for tribal resources. Separately, Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, has introduced amendments intended to protect farmers and other landowners from having property taken through eminent domain to build transmission lines.
Legislative momentum and prospects
Earlier in the week the Senate voted 75-23 to advance the legislation, a procedural result Whitehouse said improved the bill’s prospects in the House of Representatives. He indicated that members of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus had assured senators the House will hold a vote on the measure and were optimistic about its chances of passage there.
The path forward will include a period for debate and amendment consideration next week, followed by a final passage vote. The range of amendments being pursued reflects competing priorities among lawmakers on historic preservation, tribal protections, and landowner rights related to infrastructure siting.