President Joe Biden hesitated to tout his $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal during a wildfire briefing at the White House after backpedaling on his veto threat if Congress did not also deliver a social welfare package to his desk at the same time.
Biden was telling a group of Cabinet officials, governors, and private sector partners who were convened to discuss fire season preparedness and response efforts that the country needed to make investments “in our future.”
HARRIS AND BUTTIGIEG JOSTLE FOR LIMELIGHT IN PREVIEW OF FUTURE PRIMARY FIGHT
“That’s why the bipartisan infrastructure framework investment of about $50 billion in my so-called — anyway, I won’t go into it, but a bill that’s caused a little attention, infrastructure bill, is going to build resilience to extreme weather events like wildfires,” he said Wednesday.
Vice President Kamala Harris did not hesitate, though, contending the bipartisan agreement would “address a lot of these challenges.”
“But there’s other work to be done,” she added.
Biden’s reluctance contrasts with his trips to Michigan and Wisconsin this week, where he plans to build public support for the bipartisan infrastructure arrangement.
Biden rattled Republican senators who helped broker the bipartisan “hard” infrastructure measure last week by issuing a veto threat if Congress did not also pass a potentially $6 trillion social welfare, “soft” infrastructure package via the streamlined process known as reconciliation. The bipartisan bill will require at least 10 GOP senators to clear the Senate, and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham has already flagged his concerns. The president later softened his tone, though press secretary Jen Psaki repeated this week that he wanted them considered “in tandem.”
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Biden’s appearance Wednesday coincided with an announcement his administration intends to increase firefighter pay to at least $15 an hour, train and equip military personnel to provide extra assistance if necessary, and leverage science and technologies to enhance fire responses.
