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Biden will lay out the plan, which is aimed at rebuilding roads
and bridges as well as tackling climate change and domestic
policy issues like income equality, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
"The president has a plan to fix the infrastructure of our
country ... and he has a plan to pay for it," White House
spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters.
She did not elaborate, but some economists and analysts say the
proposal may include the biggest overall tax increase in
decades. While campaigning for president ahead of the November
2020 election, Biden proposed rolling back corporate tax
reduction and increasing taxes on the wealthy.
The plan is likely to trigger heated debate among congressional
Democrats and Republicans on taxes and spending, just weeks
after Biden used narrow Democratic majorities in the Senate and
House of Representatives to gain approval of a $1.9 trillion
pandemic stimulus bill.
Biden has in the past ruled out raising taxes on individuals
making less than $400,000. Other voices in his party have called
for a "wealth tax," and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
last week floated the idea of a tax on miles driven.
Studies show a major injection of spending is needed to rebuild
America's crumbling roads, bridges and airports.
Biden's legislative effort is expected to be split into two
parts, an initial package that deals with traditional
transportation projects, and a second that addresses domestic
priorities, such as universal pre-kindergarten, national
childcare and free community college tuition, White House
officials say.
(additional reporting by Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Chris
Reese, Heather Timmons and Sonya Hepinstall)
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