An infrastructure bill with bipartisan support would spend more than $1 trillion to fix roads, bridges, and power grids — including major spending to reduce future damage from flooding, fires, and extreme weather.
An accompanying budget bill, which passes through a process called reconciliation, would set aside $3.5 trillion over 10 years to address climate change and expand America’s social safety net.
But two Democratic senators, Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, say they cost too much. Republicans agree. And without their support, the bills may not pass.
Climate change will bring more extreme weather events, stronger storms, and record-breaking temperatures. Dealing with the fallout of these disasters costs Americans billions each year.
And it’s only going to get worse.
Let’s take a look at how much cash these bills put toward directly addressing climate change — versus the cost of doing nothing at all.