持续数小时两党参议院会议美国国会议员周三表示，他们已经达成一项“框架”协议，将前往白宫会见总统乔·拜登星期四。
“我们有一个框架，明天我们将去白宫，”森说米特·罗姆尼犹他州共和党人告诉记者。
“我们取得了重大进展，”白宫顾问史蒂夫·里奇蒂告诉美国广播公司新闻。
塞缪尔·科伦/盖蒂影像公司
弗吉尼亚州民主党参议员马克·沃纳、缅因州共和党参议员苏珊·科林斯和弗吉尼亚州民主党参议员乔·曼钦在离开时进行了交谈
三名参议院谈判代表——缅因州的共和党人苏珊·科林斯、俄亥俄州的罗布·波特曼和蒙大拿州的民主党人乔恩·特斯特——向记者澄清说，关于如何支付1.2万亿美元的一揽子计划，仍有一些细节有待解决，尽管所有人都同意一项协议即将达成。
“有一个两党基础设施一揽子协议的框架。还有一些细节需要解决，”柯林斯说。
“在很大程度上，我们有一个框架，但是这个框架中有一些组件需要解决，”Tester说。“你认为我们明天去白宫只是为了喝茶吗?”
当被问及21名参议员是否达成了协议时，波特曼说，“我不会用这些词，但我会说我们非常非常接近，我们现在要进行外联。重要的是要从中间扩大选票。”
波特曼指的是21国集团之外的参议员正在进行的关键销售工作。
由10名参议员组成的核心两党小组——五名民主党人，五名共和党人——已经为此努力了一个月。
白宫高级助手现在必须向总统展示最终数字。
周三下午在白宫，拜登被问及对两党基础设施协议的看法，他给出了第一个答案暗示谈判已接近尾声完成。
“我会告诉你，当我今晚得到最后的数字，”他说。
塞缪尔·科伦/盖蒂影像公司
弗吉尼亚州参议员马克·沃纳回到一个由参议员和共和党人组成的两党小组.
周三晚上，国会大厦的气氛轻松而喜庆，最后一轮谈判接近尾声时，披萨被带了进来。
立法者旨在让工作人员在参议员休会两周前完成最终细节。
“我认为在我们回家之前，我们把细节解决掉是非常重要的，但是考虑到我们从哪里开始，我们在哪里——双方都本着诚意进行了谈判，这很重要。柯林斯说:“这不仅对参议院的运作很重要，对美国也很重要，在全球范围内展示参议院能够共同努力也很重要。”。
参议员们就如何支付包括5790亿美元新支出在内的一揽子计划争论了几周，共和党人拒绝任何减税，白宫拒绝为年收入低于40万美元的美国人增加任何费用或税收。
尽管这是一场势头强劲的重大胜利，但仍有待观察进步人士将如何获得远不如他们所希望的计划。
民主党人同时还在制定一项全面的、防止阻挠议案通过的计划，将多达6万亿美元的支出用于“人类基础设施”，包括老年人和儿童保育、气候变化、医疗保险改革和移民改革。该一揽子计划的部分费用将通过向富人增税来支付。
两党基础设施谈判中的更多中间派民主党人能否支持这样一个全面的方案，还有待观察。一些进步人士希望在支持任何两党协议之前，确保他们在更大的一揽子方案上达成一致——通过使用一种被称为和解的预算程序，只需要50票。
参议院民主党领导人今年要让这两个方案在国会获得通过，还有一段艰难的路要走。众议院议长南希·佩洛西和参议院多数党领袖查克·舒默都表示，他们希望在7月份在各自的楼层实施这些基础设施一揽子计划。
Bipartisan Senate negotiators announce infrastructure 'framework' deal
Following multiple hours-longbipartisan Senate meetingswith senior White House aides on a traditional infrastructure package, lawmakers said Wednesday that they have reached a "framework" deal and are headed to the White House to meet with PresidentJoe Bidenon Thursday.
"We have a framework, and we're going to the White House tomorrow," SenMitt Romney, R-Utah, told reporters.
"We made significant progress," White House counselor Steve Richetti told ABC News.
Three Senate negotiators -- Republicans Susan Collins of Maine, Ohio's Rob Portman and Montana Democrat Jon Tester -- clarified to reporters that there were still some details to be worked out on how the $1.2 trillion package is to be paid for, though all agreed that a deal was at hand.
"There is a framework of agreement on a bipartisan infrastructure package. There's still details to be worked out," said Collins.
"For the most part we have a framework, but there are components within that framework that need to be worked out," Tester said. "Do you think we'd be going to the White House tomorrow just to drink tea?"
When asked if the group of 21 senators had a deal, Portman said, "I wouldn't use exactly those words, but I would say that we're very, very close, and we're going to now do the outreach. It is important to grow the vote from the middle out."
Portman was referencing the crucial sales job now underway with senators outside the group of 21.
The core, bipartisan group of 10 senators - five Democrat, five Republican - has been at this effort for a month.
Senior White House aides now must show the president the final numbers.
At the White House Wednesday afternoon, Biden was asked how he feels about the bipartisan infrastructure deal and he gave the firsthint that the negotiations were nearingcompletion.
"I'll tell you that when I get the final numbers tonight," he said.
The mood in the Capitol Wednesday night was light and festive with pizza brought in near the end of the last round of talks.
Lawmakers are aiming to have staff wrap up the final details before senators leave for a two-week recess.
"I think it's really important that before we go home, we get the details ironed out, but considering where we started and where we are -- both sides negotiated in good faith, and this is important. It's important not only to the functioning of the Senate, it's important to America, and it's important globally to show that the Senate can work together," said Collins.
Senators had been at odds for weeks over how to pay for the package, which includes $579 billion in new spending, with Republicans refusing any tax cuts and the White House rejecting any fees or tax increases for Americans making under $400,000 annually.
But while this is a significant victory with substantial momentum, it remains to be seenhow progressives will receivethe plan which is far less than they had hoped for.
Democrats are also simultaneously crafting a sweeping, filibuster-proof plan to wrap in as much as $6 trillion in spending on "human infrastructure," which includes elder and childcare, climate change, Medicare changes and immigration reforms. That package would, in part, be paid for by raising taxes on the wealthy.
It remains to be seen if more centrist Democrats who are part of the bipartisan infrastructure talks can support such a sweeping package. Some progressives want to secure their agreement on the larger package -- which would need just 50 votes by using a budget procedure known as reconciliation -- before they would support any bipartisan deal.
Senate Democratic leaders have a difficult road ahead to get both packages passed Congress this year. Both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have said they want these infrastructure packages on their respective floors in July.
