The U.S. Chamber of Commerce called for a renewed focus on infrastructure Monday in discussing a Joe Biden administration and new Congress.
“The first order of business for the new Congress and the new administration is a broad-based infrastructure program,” said Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in a call with reporters on the business group’s priorities next year.
The government’s struggles to address infrastructure have been the source of many jokes in Washington since President Trump took office. His administration and lawmakers have separately attempted to move several pieces of legislation to reform and increase infrastructure spending, but each of those efforts has failed.
The lack of success has led many to believe a divided government is incapable of advancing an infrastructure bill. Bradley disagreed with that consensus.
“We don’t share that skepticism at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce,” he said, adding that while voters chose a divided government, assuming that Republicans win at least one of the Senate runoff races in Georgia, they also expect the two political parties to work together on big issues, such as infrastructure.
“We’re bullish on the opportunity for Congress to come together and address some of these challenges,” he said.
He suggested an infrastructure bill should not just fix roads and bridges but also address broadband connectivity issues and confront the challenges associated with climate change.
For the current Congress, Bradley stressed that the first order of business during the lame-duck session should be passing another coronavirus relief package.
“We believe that is the number one priority,” Bradley said.
Lawmakers and the administration worked in vain to provide additional pandemic relief in the months leading up to last week’s elections. Bradley believes that with the election over, passage should be easier.
“I actually think [the odds] are quite high,” he said.
Bradley advocated for a relief bill that extends relief to the unemployed, provides aid to airlines, funds coronavirus testing, and gives additional aid to state and local governments. He said that he expects that the total cost for the package would be roughly $1.7 trillion.
