President Joe Biden has a new idea about paying for his massive infrastructure plan. If only he could explain it.
The Democratic chief executive met with the leaders of both parties Wednesday in the Oval Office, where they mostly discussed his broad definition of infrastructure. But the Republicans who were there raised questions after about Biden’s proposals to fund one proposal that crests $2 trillion and another that approaches that figure.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy described Biden’s proposal to finance his two bills, in part, by raising the corporate tax rate as a nonstarter.
BIDEN PRESSURED FROM BOTH SIDES OVER UNEMPLOYMENT BOOST
Pay-fors have long been the insurmountable hurdle in getting traction on any infrastructure-upgrading measure. Well, the longtime senator from Delaware has an idea or two for finding the monies he needs.
Hire more Internal Revenue agents to identify wealthy tax cheats and hunt them down, he said during an interview with MSNBC that aired Wednesday night.
There was a not-so-minor problem with his explanation of how it might work, however.
Biden, who long has been known to put his foot in his mouth, fumbled his own estimate for how much his own plan might bring into federal coffers.
“For example, there’s a situation where there’s an estimation of somewhere between $700 billion and a trillion, 300 million billion dollars if we hire more IRS agents and we go after those folks who are avoiding taxes at the top end,” he said.
Joe Biden: “Somewhere between 700 billion and a trillion 300 million billion dollars” pic.twitter.com/DdEOeG6sw5
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 13, 2021
The president has had a number of verbal gaffes and stumbles, and one physical stumble on the steep stairs of Air Force One, since taking office.
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Each has prompted assessments from the Right that he has lost more than a few steps — and right-wing conspiracy theories shared on social media and spouted on Fox News and other right-leaning TV networks that the 78-year-old president is unfit for office and not actually running the government.
