Congressional Democrats are connecting Ag infrastructure issues, such as broadband, to the very larg, and politically risky, Biden infrastructure effort. House Ag Chair David Scott recently called his panel into session to vote out a $50 billion broadband bill, which is expected to become part of the trillion-dollar-plus Biden infrastructure deal with some Republicans. But Senate Republican Chuck Grassley, sponsoring his own bipartisan broadband bill, says relying on the broader infrastructure effort, followed by a massive social infrastructure bill could backfire.

loading...

“You’ve got the problem of the progressives within the Democrat party that want this other bill to go along with the infrastructure bill, which I think will blow everything up.”

That proposal, Grassley noted, would include broadband as well as the possibility of money for biofuels as well as locks and dams.

“Well, if it blows up, it blows up, that’s kind of the end of that, isn’t it, unless somebody starts over again? And our bill wouldn’t necessarily need to go into the infrastructure bill.”

Congress appropriated billions during COVID for broadband-user subsidies, mapping, and connectivity and computers for students, schools, libraries and hospitals.

If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail gvaagen@cherrycreekmedia.com

More From PNW Ag Network