Sen. Bill Hagerty Delays Infrastructure Final Vote over $256 Billion Federal Deficit Increase  

Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) delayed Thursday President Joe Biden’s infrastructure deal in the Senate for a final vote over concerns the legislation would increase the federal deficit by $256 billion.

The final vote could now be delayed into early next week.

“Earlier this afternoon, the Congressional Budget Office released its long awaited score for this infrastructure bill. While we’ve heard for weeks that it would be paid for, it’s not. It didn’t just come up short, it came up a quarter of a trillion dollars short,” Hagerty said late Thursday in a released statement.

“The CBO indicated this bill will increase the deficit by at least $256 billion dollars when it was supposed to break even. Despite this news, I was asked to consent to expedite the process and pass it,” he continued.

“I could not, in good conscience, allow that to happen at this hour,” Hagerty explained, “especially when the objective of the majority is to hurry up and pass this bill so that they can move quickly to their $3.5 trillion tax-and-spend spree designed to implement the Green New Deal and increase Americans’ dependence on the government so I objected.”

Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD), who is supporting Biden and handing the administration a huge win — one which the President has already used as Democrat propaganda to deter Republicans’ chances of winning back the House in the midterms — told a New York Times reporter the bill is momentarily on hold.

“Tonight things just kind of got bogged down a little bit because there were a number of disagreements,” said Thune about the 22 amendments that have been submitted for negotiation. “And when somebody doesn’t get their amendment, they put a hold on everything else. And we’ve seen this before, I mean it’s a frequent movie around here.”

Breitbart News reported Thursday the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said the legislation would add $256 billion to the deficit over ten years, triggering Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) to publicly say he is a no vote.

But not all Republicans needed to stop the deal are fighting the potential Biden win.

Sens. Roy Blunt (R-MO), Richard Burr (R-NC), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Jim Risch (R-ID), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Todd Young (R-IN), John Hoeven (R-ND), Susan Collins (R-ME), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) are among the group that seems eager to pass the legislation.