Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said there is a “great chance” Republicans and Democrats can reach an agreement on an infrastructure bill after President Joe Biden has pushed for a new round of spending.
The Kentucky Republican met with Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday to discuss a long-awaited infrastructure package. McConnell said he was firm with the Democratic leaders on refusing to budge on tax increases.
“We had a very cordial meeting for about an hour and a half and discussed an issue upon which there is a great chance we could get a bipartisan outcome,” he told Fox News’s Bret Baier. “And that’s infrastructure. I did make clear to the president that we’re not willing to go back and raise taxes, that is, undo the 2017 comprehensive tax reform bill, which brought us the best economy in a long time as of February of 2020. I think they know that. That was a — seemed to me to be accepted.”
BREAKING DOWN WHAT’S REALLY IN BIDEN’S INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN
McConnell declined to specify a dollar amount discussed in the negotiations, though the president has proposed a $2 trillion American Jobs Act, prompting more backlash from conservative critics who say there is too much rampant spending and wastefulness. The GOP has countered with proposals that cost markedly less, including one from a group of 10 Republican lawmakers that called for a $600 billion price tag in late January.
McConnell said his colleagues would agree on certain aspects of infrastructure, though he called out “exotic definitions,” with Democrats such as New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand roping in such things as paid leave, child care, and caregiving under the umbrella of infrastructure.
“And we may have some differences about how you define infrastructure,” the top Republican said. “I mean, we think traditional infrastructure, roads, bridges, ports, water lines, broadband, are things we can agree on. To the extent that they start getting off in rather exotic definitions of what amounts to infrastructure, we could have a problem. But I think the takeaway from the meeting, Bret, is that I think both sides would like to get an outcome.”
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Biden’s initial proposal sets aside $621 billion for “transportation infrastructure and resilience,” and much of that would go toward projects traditionally considered infrastructure-related. The president also has plans to allocate $34 billion for so-called “social infrastructure,” which would build “regional innovation hubs” to develop technology, and Biden has expressed an interest in “community college infrastructure” to fund tech at the institutions.
The president used the phrases “environmental justice,” “nature-based infrastructure,” and “care infrastructure” in his plan.
