US President Joe Biden talks about infrastructure investments of the Eisenhower office building on the White House campus on April 7, 2021 in Washington, DC.
Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images
President Joe Biden is holding his second infrastructure meeting with Democratic and Republican members of Congress on Monday, as GOP lawmakers insist on shrinking the president’s plan of more than $ 2 trillion.
Biden aims to approve a package in the coming months that will renovate U.S. roads, bridges, airports, broadband, housing and utilities, and invest in job training, along with caring for the elderly and disabled Americans. Republicans have indicated they can support an abbreviated bill based on transportation, broadband and water systems.
The president has said he wants to draft a dual bill, but Democrats will pass on their own legislation through budget reconciliation if they are unable to reach an agreement with the IDP. As the parties have differing views on what qualifies as infrastructure and how big a role the government should play in improving it, it is unclear what support can be gained from both Democrats and Republicans.
On Sunday, he was asked if he would support an $ 800 billion infrastructure proposal driven by some of his Senate colleagues, Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas, did not explicitly endorse the figure, but indicated that he can support a plan with transportation and broadband in the middle.
‘There is a core infrastructure bill that we can go through with appropriate payments such as roads and bridges, and even issue broadband, which through this pandemic has exposed a huge digital divide in the country. “I think we can all agree on that, but I think that’s the part we can agree on, so let’s do it,” he told Fox News Sunday.
Chris Coons, D-Del, appears on Fox with Cornyn, arguing the possibility that Democrats will accept a smaller infrastructure proposal with GOP support, and then approve their own priorities.
Attempts to win Republican support could pose a myriad of problems for Biden. The IDP wants the president to reduce the proposed spending on electric vehicles and the care of the elderly and disabled – two priorities for democratic legislatures.
Republicans also criticized Biden’s plans to reimburse infrastructure spending. He asked to increase the company tax rate to 28%. The IDP lowered it to 21% from 35% in 2017, and resisted efforts to raise the rate again.
Last week, Senator Shelley Moore Capito, RW.V., told CNBC that she considered an $ 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 parties a week ago, Biden said he was willing to negotiate with the IDP.
“I am prepared to negotiate the scope of my infrastructure project and how we pay for it. … I think everyone acknowledges that we need a significant increase in infrastructure,” he said. “It’s going to come down to what we call infrastructure.”
Agreeing on what counts as infrastructure can foster discussions. Sen. Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican who met with Biden last week, said Thursday that he wants to see a bill based on the “30% of the president’s proposal that is actually infrastructure.”
It is unclear how many Biden and Congress Democrats will agree to cut back on the plan to win GOP support. Wicker, the rank and file member of the Senate Commerce Committee, which has wide jurisdiction over transportation and communications matters, said he thinks the infrastructure bill could be twofold.
“I’m optimistic, hopeful, I’m looking at the bright side,” he said.
Update: This story has been updated to explain Senator John Cornyn’s remarks on a possible infrastructure bill.
Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube.