Late Friday, President Joe Biden was handed another well needed victory as the House passed the much needed $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. Earlier on Friday, robust non-farm job numbers for October brought some cheer in this mixed week where the Democrats lost the Virginia gubernatorial post as well as a few others and retained governorship of New Jersey with a razor thin margin.

Some of the House Democrats, six in number, did not vote in favor of the bill as they wanted both the proposed bills: the infrastructure bill and the bigger $1.75 trillion social safety net and climate package to be passed, together. However, some Republicans, 13 in number, joined the majority of the Democrats to pass the infrastructure bill. The bill was passed in a 228-206 vote.

The legislation can be considered to be a good achievement by the Democrats after they passed the 1.9 trillion relief package during the coronavirus pandemic, this spring. Congress has not passed any substantive bill to upgrade infrastructure from several years.

The bill will now reach the President’s desk and it can be assumed that after all the delays in getting a consensus, the bill will be signed by Biden, making a law, at the earliest. The infrastructure bill will spend billions to upgrade transportation, utilities, broadband and more. It will also ease some of the supply chain issues which have slowed down the nation as well as the world’s economy.

After the House vote, President Biden commented that the legislation should increase job opportunities by millions and convert the climate crisis into an opportunity. He also lauded the legislation for making a path towards economy victory “for the 21st century.”

Biden also said that the procedural vote on the second Democratic bill would allow for the passage pf the “Build Back Better Act in the House of Representatives in the week of November 15th.”