After months of negotiations between Republicans and Democrats with the White House, the U.S. Senate on Tuesday passed a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, sending the mammoth package to the U.S. House of Representatives.

The U.S. Senate passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in a 69-30 vote with 19 Republican Senators giving the bill more than the 60-vote threshold needed.

“Our bipartisan bill will help West Virginia, and every other state in the nation, address the infrastructure needs of our nation while creating good-paying jobs and growing the economy,” said U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., one of the gang of five Republican and five Democratic senators who negotiated the package with President Joe Biden over the last nearly two months.

“This type of investment hasn’t been made in three decades.

“And today, the Senate passed our bipartisan legislation to help America compete in the 21st century,” Manchin continued.

“This success proves to the nation, and the entire world, that Congress is not broken and when we create compromise together, by reaching across the aisle and forging true relationships, we can accomplish big things.”

U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., was one of the 19 Republicans who voted for the bill and as the ranking Republican on the Environment and Public Works Committee, she helped shepherd amendments made to the bill over the last week. Speaking on the floor Tuesday, Capito praised the bill as a bipartisan achievement.

“I think we have much to celebrate,” Capito said. “We’ve talked all week how the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act delivers for the American people … this historic investment reflects our commitment to keeping America safe, improving our global competitiveness, and growing our economy.”

The negotiations between the White House and the gang of 10 were based on negotiations in April and May between Biden and a group of Senate Republicans led by Capito. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was also based on two bills that passed unanimously from Capito’s EPW Committee recently — one for transportation funding and one for clean water and wastewater infrastructure. Capito was thanked on the floor Tuesday for her early work.

“I want to take this opportunity to briefly thank my colleagues who have gotten us to this point … there’s been a group of members who have been particularly committed to it. One is Shelley Moore Capito,” said U.S. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, one of the gang of 10. “The work she did with President Biden early on laid the foundation for this.”

“Before there was a group of 22, there was a gang of one: the gentlelady from West Virginia,” said U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., chairman of the EPW Committee. “(Capito) joined with the President’s team to really get the ball rolling … you might not have gotten the ball through the endzone, but you certainly got into the red zone and we are grateful for all of your work and good humor.”

The $1.2 trillion package includes $550 billion in new spending on a variety of infrastructure projects over the next five years. Funding includes $110 billion for roads and bridges, $65 billion for broadband expansion, $65 billion for clean energy and power grid resilience, $66 billion on passenger and freight rail, $55 billion for water infrastructure, $47.2 billion on cybersecurity and climate change resiliency, $25 billion for airports, and $11 billion for safety projects.

West Virginia could receive $3 billion in federal aid for highways and $506 million for bridge replacement and repairs over the next five years. The state can also compete for as much as $12.5 billion for the Bridge Investment Program and $16 billion for national transportation projects. Through a funding formula, West Virginia could receive $196 million for public transportation projects.

The bill includes a minimum of $100 million to help West Virginia with broadband expansion projects. Another 543,000 West Virginians, or 31 percent of the state’s population, would be eligible for an Affordability Connectivity Benefit for low-income families struggling to afford internet service.

Manchin’s Energy Infrastructure Act, passed out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee where Manchin is the chairman, was also incorporated into the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. That bill includes $12 billion for carbon capture technologies, $84 billion for geothermal demonstration projects, and $140 million for research into mining for rare earth minerals for electric vehicle batteries. The bill fully funds a program championed by West Virginia University to extract rare earth minerals from coal.

West Virginia would also be able to apply for up to $16 million for energy efficiency upgrades and $47 million for weatherization projects. The bill funds $9.5 billion for hydrogen projects, including hubs to be placed in natural gas-producing regions. The bill would allow Virgin Hyperloop to apply for the Department of Energy’s Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Loan Program.

“I have always said that the best politics is good government, and I’m incredibly proud of my bipartisan colleagues for their tireless efforts to get this across the finish line and deliver on this major investment in the needs of America,” Manchin said.