US President Joe Biden speaks of infrastructure investment from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus on April 7, 2021 in Washington, DC.
Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images
President Joe Biden will hold his second infrastructure meeting with Democratic and Republican members of Congress on Monday, as GOP lawmakers push to narrow down the president’s more than $ 2 trillion plan.
Biden aims to approve a package in the coming months that revamps U.S. roads, bridges, airports, broadband, housing, and utilities, and invests in job training and care for elderly and disabled Americans. Republicans have indicated they could support a reduced bill based on transportation, broadband and water systems.
The president has said he wants to draft a bipartisan bill, but the Democrats themselves would pass legislation through budget reconciliation if they fail to negotiate a deal with the GOP. Since the parties have differing views on what qualifies as infrastructure and how big a role government should play in improving it, it is unclear what could gain the support of Democrats and Republicans alike.
When asked on Sunday if he would support a roughly $ 800 billion infrastructure proposal submitted by some of his Senate colleagues, Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas, did not explicitly endorse the figure but indicated he had a plan involving transportation. and broadband as a centerpiece.
“There is a bill for core infrastructure that we could pass with appropriate fees such as roads and bridges, and even over broadband, that this pandemic has exposed a large digital divide in the country.… I think we all have that. Agree, but I think that’s the part we can agree on, so let’s do it, “he said on Fox News Sunday.
Senator Chris Coons, D-Del. Appeared on Fox with Cornyn, pushing the possibility that Democrats would approve a smaller infrastructure proposal with GOP backing and then approve their other priorities on their own.
Attempts to win Republican support can pose a host of problems for Biden. The GOP wants the president to cut proposed spending on electric vehicles and care for the elderly and the disabled – two priorities for Democratic lawmakers.
Republicans have also criticized Biden’s plans to offset infrastructure spending. He has called for the corporate tax rate to be increased to 28%. The GOP cut it from 35% in 2017 to 21% and opposed attempts to increase the rate again.
Last week, Senator Shelley Moore Capito, RW.V., told CNBC that she sees a $ 600 billion to $ 800 billion infrastructure plan as a “sweet spot” that could win support from both parties. She told reporters on Thursday that Republicans expect to outline their own infrastructure proposal.
Ahead of his first infrastructure meeting with lawmakers from both sides a week ago, Biden said he was willing to negotiate with the GOP.
“I am ready to negotiate the size of my infrastructure project and how we will pay for it. … I think everyone recognizes that we need significant infrastructure expansion,” he said. “It comes down to what we call infrastructure.”
Agreements on what counts as infrastructure can confuse discussions. Senator Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican who met with Biden last week, said on Thursday that he wants to see a bill based on “30% of the president’s proposal that is actually infrastructure.”
It’s unclear how many Biden and Congressional Democrats would agree to cut back on the plan to win GOP support. Wicker, the senior member of the Senate Trade Committee that has broad jurisdiction over transportation and communications issues, said he thinks the infrastructure law could be two-pronged.
“I’m optimistic, I’m hopeful, I’m looking on the bright side,” he said.
Update: This story has been updated to clarify Senator John Cornyn’s comments on a possible infrastructure law.
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