Republicans will urge Biden to reduce infrastructure bill to $600 billion


Republicans will urge Biden to reduce his infrastructure bill from $2trillion to $600billion and get rid of tax hikes in favor of ‘user fees’

  • Senate Republicans are preparing to counter Biden’s $2T infrastructure package
  • Their plan would focus on traditional infrastructure; cost $600-$800 billion
  • GOP would pay for it with a combination of user fees and COVID relief money

Senate Republicans are preparing a counter proposal to President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure package, one that would drastically reduce the price tag and pay for it with a means other than raising taxes.

Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, who has taken the lead in negotiations for the GOP, said the Republican counter offer would be ready ‘hopefully by the end of the week.’

The GOP plan would be in the $600 billion to $800 billion range and focus on traditional infrastructure projects. Republicans have complained that items in Biden’s plan – such as affordable housing, childcare and combatting climate change – are not infrastructure.

Republicans are looking to pay for their plan through a combination of user fees and repurposing some of the  $350 billion sent out to state and local governments in the American Rescue Plan, The Hill reported.

Senate Republicans are preparing a counter proposal to President Joe Biden's $2 trillion infrastructure package

Senate Republicans are preparing a counter proposal to President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure package

Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell

Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia has taken the lead on the GOP infrastructure package and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said they are open to negotiation with President Biden on a ‘modest’ bill

‘We’re open to a more modest and targeted infrastructure bill,’ Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday. 

Republican Senator John Thune of South Dakota, a member of the party leadership, said there was a willingness among GOP lawmakers to negotiate on a package that focused on traditional infrastructure. 

‘There’s a pathway there, and if the Democrats would be willing to negotiate on something like that, there could be a deal,’ he said.

Biden argues all the elements in his plan pertain to the national infrastructure and wants to pay for it by hiking corporate taxes. Democrats are unlikely to back the GOP payment method. 

But some Democrats see a focus on traditional infrastructure items – like roads, bridges and airports – as a first step to a larger deal.

President Biden hosted a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the Oval Office on Monday to discuss his infrastructure package

President Biden hosted a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the Oval Office on Monday to discuss his infrastructure package

Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, a close Biden ally, said on ‘Fox News Sunday’ that the Senate should ‘come together in a bipartisan way to pass that $800 billion hard infrastructure bill’ and then tackle a second package that would include additional items the president is proposing.

Biden is facing criticism from his left wing, who wanted him to go even bigger. 

The White House is working to mollify progressives with talk of the American Families Plan, a second part of the infrastructure initiative that will be released this month and focus on social programs, including the child tax credit.

But most Republicans strongly oppose the social programs and liberals worry that a smaller first round package passing with bipartisan support could kill the second round proposal.   

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