Congress is back in session for a short period, with a lot to consider and a little time before their August recess. 

Staff for a bipartisan group of senators worked over the July 4 recess on a $1 trillion infrastructure proposal but still have a heavy lift to get it voted on this work period. Key issues need to be resolved, bill language needs to finalized and supporters need to line up the 60 votes necessary to ensure final passage. And some Republican senators who were seen as open to supporting the bill appear to have cooled a bit and say they want to see if the plan can be fully paid for. 

The second major item on the Democrats’ agenda for the summer work period is the budget. After initially proposing a $6 trillion reconciliation bill primarily for “soft infrastructure,” such as a child tax credit, health care, education, energy tax credits and more, reports indicate Democrats are now looking to cut the cost roughly in half.

However the discussions of a big multi-trillion dollar Democratic-only package at the same time the bipartisan infrastructure group is trying to nail down the details of its bill has clearly unsettled some in the Republican and perhaps even Democratic caucuses.