Poll: Voters expect lawmakers to approve infrastructure package this summer

Americans are optimistic that lawmakers will pass a sweeping infrastructure package this summer, according to a new Harvard CAPS/Harris poll shared with The Hill. 

Fifty-eight percent of respondents say that they expect Congress to approve an infrastructure reform bill by the end of the summer. But voters are more comfortable with bipartisan legislation than they are with the $2 trillion plan initially proposed by President Biden. 

Seventy-eight percent say they want Biden to accept a $1.2 trillion infrastructure proposal negotiated by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, while 22 percent believe that the president should hold out for a larger package, according to the Harvard CAPS/Harris poll. 

The bipartisan deal has gained steam in recent weeks, though some progressives have urged the White House to end negotiations with Republicans, arguing that Democrats should instead move forward with a reconciliation bill that looks more like the $2.2 trillion proposal Biden announced in late March. 

Biden’s initial proposal includes calls for investments in roads, bridges, broadband, elder care and efforts to combat climate change. 

The Harvard CAPS/Harris poll, however, found that most Americans — 57 percent — want Democrats to compromise with Republicans on a less expensive bill that would avoid raising taxes. 

Moreover, 68 percent of respondents say that lawmakers should take their time to craft legislation that draws both Democratic and Republican support. Only about one-third — 32 percent — believe Congress should move forward with an infrastructure package as quickly as possible. 

“There is nearly universal support from the voters for a $1.2 trillion dollar infrastructure compromise that does not raise taxes,” Mark Penn, the co-director of the Harvard CAPS/Harris poll, said. “It would be seen as a major victory not a setback for the administration.”

The Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll survey of 2,006 registered voters was conducted from June 15-17. It is a collaboration of the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard University and the Harris Poll.

Full poll results will be posted online later this week. Respondents are recruited via voter panel providers on a randomized basis and their responses are then weighted to reflect known demographics. As a representative poll conducted online, it does not report a probability confidence interval.

–Updated at 5:47 p.m.