WASHINGTON, D.C. (NAFB) – Congressional Democrats are hitching Ag infrastructure like broadband, to the politically risky Biden infrastructure effort.

House Ag Chair David Scott called his panel into session Wednesday to vote out a $50 billion broadband bill, likely to become part of the trillion-dollar-plus Biden infrastructure deal with some Republicans.

But Senate Republican Chuck Grassley, sponsoring his own bipartisan broadband bill, says relying on the broader infrastructure effort, followed by a massive social infrastructure bill could backfire.

Including broadband and maybe biofuel and locks and dams money.

Which Grassley agrees, Democrats see as the only viable path for things like broadband. As for his possibly free-standing approach, Grassley argues it seeks no new money.

Congress appropriated billions during COVID for broadband-user subsidies, mapping, and connectivity and computers for students, schools, libraries and hospitals.