House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rounded out the victory of a $ 1.9 billion coronavirus relief package and announced the next priority for the Democratic Congress: infrastructure.
“Congress needs to work fast to build on Biden’s historic U.S. rescue plan. Our recovery plan needs to build better for the people in each zip code by creating well-paying jobs for the future,” the California Democrat said in a statement. “To that end, I called on the chairmen of the jurisdictional committees to draw up, together with their Republican counterparts, a large, daring and transformative infrastructure package.”
Pelosi met Thursday with leaders of the committees that will put together the package.
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Pelosi said the bill would address infrastructure and would also address ‘other critical needs in energy and broadband, education and housing, water systems and other priorities’.
She emphasizes her hope that the bill will be twofold, as infrastructure is one area where Republicans and Democrats have both expressed interest. Former President Trump last April called for a ‘very large and daring’ $ 2 billion infrastructure spending plan. Pelosi proposed an infrastructure bill at about the same time.
“Building our transportation system has long been two-sided. We hope the spirit will prevail if we address other critical needs in energy and broadband, education and housing, water systems and other priorities,” Pelosi said. “As we participate in these job-creating initiatives, we need to discuss their impact on the federal budget, on creating economic growth and on preserving our planet.”
Biden launched a $ 2 trillion plan last summer to promote clean energy and rebuild infrastructure on the campaign.
It is unclear whether lawmakers across the aisle can agree on a package, as Republicans sound the alarm for spending on coronavirus relief. Sen. Joe Manchin, DW.Va., said he wants to reach out to Republicans and does not want to vote for a bill passed by Reconciliation, a process of budget legislation that bypasses the filibuster.
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Republicans are likely to raise the question of how to pay for such a bill. Pelosi suggested Thursday that the bill would be at least partially offset.
“We have to pay for it. We’ll have to find ways to cover fees, and so on. It’s all a discussion that needs to take place now,” she said in a press release. “But there’s no doubt that the most comprehensive maintenance of our infrastructure is no maintenance. It’s only getting worse.”
Manchin, who has become one of the most powerful lawmakers on the Hill due to his moderate stance, said the infrastructure bill could be large – about $ 4 billion – as long as it is paid for with tax increases, including raising the corporate tax rate to 25% from 21 % “at least” and portions of the 2017 Tax Reduction and Employment Act, which disproportionately benefit wealthy Americans.
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He said he would start his bargaining by demanding that the package be paid 100%. Otherwise, he said, the country’s rising debt could “cause a huge deep recession that could lead to depression if we are not careful.”