Biden says he has concerns about bipartisan infrastructure plan
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[June 22, 2021]
By Trevor Hunnicutt and Jarrett Renshaw
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe
Biden held separate talks on Monday with two key Democratic senators
about a bipartisan infrastructure plan and told them he was encouraged
by the proposal but still had questions about how to pay for the bill,
the White House said.
A bipartisan infrastructure plan costing a little over $1 trillion, only
about a fourth of what Biden initially proposed, has been gaining
support in the U.S. Senate, but disputes continue over how it should be
funded.
Biden met separately with Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema and
"told them he was encouraged by what has taken shape but that he still
has questions about the policy as well as the means for financing the
bipartisan group’s proposal," the White House said.
Biden also told the senators that he was "focused on budget resolution
discussions in the Senate," it said, an apparent reference to Democratic
preparations to pass parts of his broader infrastructure plans opposed
by Republicans using a procedure called reconciliation that requires
only a simple majority.
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There are 50 Republicans, 48 Democrats and two independents who caucus
with Democrats in the 100-seat Senate and Vice President Kamala Harris
has the tie-breaking vote for the Democrats.
Manchin and Sinema have been noncommittal when asked if they would
support a reconciliation bill.
Among other measures, members of the bipartisan group have discussed
indexing the gas tax to inflation to help pay for the bill, a provision
that Biden has consistently rejected.
"We still have some sticking points, particularly around how we pay for
this," Brian Deese, director of the White House National Economic
Council, told CNN on Monday.
Twenty-one of the 100 U.S. senators - including 11 Republicans, nine
Democrats and one independent who caucuses with Democrats - are working
on the framework to rebuild roads, bridges and other traditional
infrastructure that sources said would cost $1.2 trillion over eight
years.
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![](../images/062221PIX/news_h15.jpg)
President Joe Biden speaks about the administration's coronavirus
disease (COVID-19) response and the vaccination program during brief
remarks in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington,
U.S., June 18, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
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One of the 21 senators, Republican Senator Lindsey
Graham, said on Fox News Sunday that if Biden wanted a $1 trillion
infrastructure deal, "it's there for the taking. You just need to
get involved and lead."
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday that Biden is
expected to talk to lawmakers as soon as Monday, but she added that
there's not many weeks left for negotiations before Democrats decide
to move forward on a party-line vote.
Biden, seeking to fuel economic growth after the pandemic, had
initially proposed about $4 trillion be spent on a broader range of
infrastructure that included fighting climate change and providing
care for children and the elderly.
The White House trimmed the offer to about $1.7 trillion in talks
with senators in a bid to win Republican support in the closely
divided U.S. Senate.
Psaki said on Monday that the White House has not ditched its plan
for additional spending on items like free pre-kindergarten and paid
family leave. She said the White House never saw the infrastructure
negotiations as "one step."
"There is a reconciliation process that's ongoing, and that
addresses and includes a number of the president's priorities,"
Psaki said.
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Lisa
Lambert, Heather Timmons, Peter Graff and Cynthia Osterman)
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