The White House is moving the goal posts on infrastructure demands, putting a bipartisan deal in jeopardy, a top Republican said Tuesday.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a West Virginia Republican negotiating directly with President Joe Biden, said the White House is rejecting the GOP’s $978 billion, eight-year proposal that would serve as a baseline to fund infrastructure projects.
“The president asked us to come up with a proposal that was a trillion dollars,” Capitol told reporters. “He said it could include baseline and it could go for eight years. That’s what we presented to him. But now, apparently, it’s not enough.”
Capito was slated to hold another talk with Biden on Tuesday to discuss a bipartisan deal. The two spoke a week ago, and Capito agreed to increase the GOP’s $928 billion proposal by $50 billion, bringing the figure closer to the target of $1 trillion. White House officials said last week that the GOP offer is still too low.
The GOP measure leaves out key spending demanded by the Democratic base, including $400 billion for caregivers and $100 billion in electric vehicle tax credits.
Republicans seeking a bipartisan deal said Tuesday that noninfrastructure spending won’t be part of a package they agree to support.
“What we are talking about, in terms of a bipartisan approach, is going to be more narrow,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, told reporters.
Capito said she’s not giving up but suggested Republicans had offered many concessions, including money for rail and electric vehicle charging stations.
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“We’ve upped almost every category we believe is infrastructure,” Capito said.
