President Joe Biden accused Republicans of hypocrisy for lining up against his vast infrastructure bill after warning for years that America was falling behind rivals due to decaying roads, railways, and airports.
He claimed Republicans risk losing the support of voters if they oppose his plan as he used an address on the March jobs report to sell his $2.3 billion proposal on Friday.
A day earlier, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell promised to fight the White House “every step of the way.”
But Biden suggested his opponents were playing politics when it was vital to spend money replacing lead pipes or updating hospitals run by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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“If the Republicans argue that we don’t need infrastructure now, they’ve been talking about the need for it for years,” he said.
Former President Donald Trump repeatedly called for Congress to pass a major infrastructure package. However, various plans, including the ones floated by the 45th president’s team, failed repeatedly during his term as partisan politics got in the way.
With Republicans lining up against the new proposals and the left wing of the Democratic Party suggesting that the package should go further, Biden faces a struggle to steer legislation through Congress — even if his party leaders deploy the same budgetary procedures they used to propel the COVID-19 spending bill through the Senate with a simple majority of only Democratic votes.
Biden said he had already begun speaking to Republicans and planned to meet with them.
“They all have their ideas about what it will take what they like and what they don’t like. That’s a good thing. That’s the American way. Debate is welcome,” he said. “Compromise is inevitable. Changes in my plan are certain, but inaction is not an option.”
But as the president was peppered with questions by reporters after finishing his address, he suggested congressional Republicans were in danger of getting out of step with their own supporters.
“If the Republicans say the 400,000 homes and schools and daycare centers that have lead pipes, lead pipes delivering water to the doors … they say we shouldn’t be doing that,” he said. “What do you think would happen if they found out all the lead pipes were up in the Capitol, every time they turned on the water tap?
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“I think Republican voters are going to have a lot to say about it,” he said.
