The White House plans on working with congressional Republicans on its $2 trillion infrastructure proposal, in contrast to the partisan COVID-19 relief bill, press secretary Jen Psaki said on Wednesday.
“The key thing here is that the president feels it’s important to propose how we would pay for this, so that’s what he’s going to do in his plan, but we’re also welcoming ideas,” Psaki said. “If Republicans have ideas, other Democrats have ideas on different ways to pay for this package, on different ways to achieve the goals, we’re very open to that. So I think that will be a part of the process as well.”
Biden met with GOP members of Congress earlier this year as lawmakers worked on his relief plan but ultimately rejected virtually all of their proposed amendments. In return, zero Republicans supported the bill.
Democrats were only able to pass the relief package by using budget reconciliation, a process that enables them to pass legislation in the Senate with 50 votes instead of 60. The Senate currently has 50 Democrats or nominal independents who caucus with the party, in addition to 50 Republicans.
Vice President Kamala Harris can cast tiebreaking votes in her role as president of the upper chamber.
The details of the proposal quickly drew criticism from top Republicans.
“Let’s be clear: Biden’s radical $2 trillion ‘infrastructure’ bill is just the Green New Deal under a new name,” House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) said in a tweet, adding that it would raise taxes, increase debt, and have the effect of killing energy jobs.
Congressional Democrats have signaled they’re open to using reconciliation to jam the bill through again without Republican support, and GOP members have expressed concern about being frozen out of negotiations.
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), the Senate GOP whip, told reporters in Washington last week that the administration should sit down with Republicans.
“If they want to sit down with Republicans which they should, the Republicans would work with them on an infrastructure package. We’ve made that abundantly clear,” he said.
Psaki said the COVID-19 relief bill was different because “it was addressing an emergency that we’re still fighting our way through.”
“This is a big jobs bill but we have a little bit more time to negotiate, to have discussions, to hear if people have better ideas on either the proposals or how to pay for it,” she said.
Administration officials have already reached out to the chairs and ranking members of various committees in Congress and Biden will have lawmakers to the White House to discuss infrastructure, she added.
Psaki was speaking on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
The proposal includes a corporate tax increase to 28 percent. Former President Donald Trump brought the level down to 21 percent while in office. It would also prevent U.S. corporations from claiming tax havens as their residency and eliminate a rule that lets American companies pay zero taxes on a portion of foreign investments.
Another major proposal will be unveiled in several weeks, White House officials said. That will feature investments in childcare, healthcare, and women who have left the workforce. It will also include further changes to the tax code.
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