Bipartisan group of U.S. senators says it has a deal on infrastructure
framework
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[June 11, 2021]
By David Morgan and Susan Cornwell
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A bipartisan group of
10 U.S. senators said on Thursday it had reached agreement on a
framework for a proposed infrastructure spending bill that would not
include any tax increases.
The group of five Republicans and five Democrats gave no details, but a
source familiar with the deal said it would cost $974 billion over five
years and $1.2 trillion over eight years, and includes $579 billion in
new spending.
The senators said they were discussing their approach with their
colleagues and the White House, and they were optimistic about getting
broad support.
"Our group ... has worked in good faith and reached a bipartisan
agreement on a realistic, compromise framework to modernize our nation's
infrastructure and energy technologies," the lawmakers said in a
statement. "This investment would be fully paid for and not include tax
increases."
The agreement proposes using unspent COVID-19 funds and raising revenue
to fund infrastructure investments by indexing the federal tax on
gasoline to account for inflation, a congressional source familiar with
the negotiations said.
The White House said it would work with the senators to address
questions about policy and funding. A person familiar with President Joe
Biden's thinking said the White House opposed any effort to index
gasoline taxes to inflation.
Democratic U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said earlier on
Thursday he was open to a bipartisan infrastructure bill but wanted to
see it in writing. He added he might also push for a follow-up package
that had only his party's support.
Biden, a Democrat, has been pushing for a sweeping $1.7 trillion package
in Congress to revamp roads and bridges and tackle such other issues as
education and home healthcare.
His plan has faced Republican opposition and Biden earlier this week
rejected a far smaller counter-proposal put forward by Republican
Senator Shelley Moore Capito.
That left room for the group of 10 moderate senators from the two
parties to pitch a new idea designed to generate enough support to pass
through the 100-seat Senate with the 60 votes necessary for most bills.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell also told the group he was open
to their ideas, Republicans said.
Schumer said work was still progressing on two tracks - one a bipartisan
infrastructure bill and the other a measure that if brought to the
floor, could pass with only Democratic votes through a maneuver called
reconciliation that bypasses the rule requiring 60 votes for bills to
advance.
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U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks to a
reporter about the status of a deal on infrastructure legislation as
he departs the Senate floor at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S.,
June 8, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
MCCONNELL IN 'LISTENING MODE'
The senators in the group that reached the agreement are Democrats
Joe Manchin, Jeanne Shaheen, Kyrsten Sinema, Jon Tester and Mark
Warner, and Republicans Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski,
Rob Portman and Mitt Romney.
Collins told Reuters the group met with McConnell and he was in a
"listening mode," but did not commit one way or the other.
Romney and Tester spoke of a provision that might raise revenue by
having the Internal Revenue Service go after tax cheats.
At the same time, infrastructure-related transportation bills moved
forward at the congressional committee level.
A House of Representatives panel on Thursday ended more than 17
hours of debate with a 38-26 vote authorizing $547 billion in
additional spending for surface transportation.
The Senate Commerce Committee was also set to unveil a $78 billion
surface transportation bill, sources said.
Republicans say Biden's infrastructure plan puts too much money into
addressing climate change and building up some social programs. They
also oppose his proposal to raise taxes on U.S. corporations and the
wealthy to pay for it.
The bipartisan push has come under fire from some Democrats who say
Republicans are narrowly focused on physical infrastructure and that
Biden should push ahead with his own plans without watering it down
in negotiations.
The Senate is split 50-50 between the two parties, although Vice
President Kamala Harris can cast a tie-breaking vote.
(Reporting by David Morgan, Susan Cornwell, David Shepardson,
Richard Cowan, Jarrett Renshaw and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Scott
Malone, Kieran Murray and Cynthia Osterman)
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