The Senate reconvened on Monday poised for a partisan battle over a massive infrastructure bill that Republicans say is stuffed with provisions that have nothing to do with roads and bridges.
“It’s not remotely targeted toward what Americans think they’re getting when politicians campaign on infrastructure,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican.
Democrats, who control the Senate, are plotting a path to passing a $2 trillion infrastructure proposal that could circumvent unanimous GOP opposition.
Democrats have pledged to try to work with the GOP first, beginning with a bipartisan White House meeting slated for Monday afternoon.
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“I’m prepared to negotiate as to the extent of my infrastructure project as well as how we pay for it,” President Joe Biden said Monday.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer promoted bipartisanship on Monday.
“I know the president is going to talk to members from both sides of the aisle to incorporate their ideas,” Schumer said, calling for “a big, bold investment in our nation’s infrastructure” to help recover from the pandemic.
But the two parties are far apart on what should be included in the legislation.
McConnell said that less than 6% of the Biden proposal is dedicated to roads and bridges, and he argued that the proposal to pay for part of the bill with a corporate tax hike will kill jobs and hobble the economy as it struggles to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
“But instead of coming up with a better bill, Democrats have decided it’s the English language that has to change. They’re embarking on an Orwellian campaign to convince everybody that any government policy whatsoever can be labeled infrastructure,” McConnell said.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, said he favors passing an infrastructure bill but that the Democratic proposal indicates that “it’s everything but the kitchen sink and not enough focus on the big, big issue and the long-term issue of infrastructure.”
Democrats rebutted the criticism and accused Republicans of threatening to block an infrastructure measure that will be critical to economic recovery and would create jobs and address climate change, among many other provisions, in addition to fixing crumbling roads, bridges, and critical water infrastructure.
“We need to create millions of jobs and lay the foundations for American prosperity for years to come,” Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, said Monday. “Will our colleagues on the other side of the aisle really filibuster this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for America to regain the lead in the global economy for the 21st century?”
Democratic messaging on the massive bill has drawn intense criticism from Republican lawmakers who say the party is redefining infrastructure to include liberal wish list items, such as paid leave and child care.
“The White House has lumped together a motley assortment of the Left’s priciest priorities,” McConnell said.
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While Democrats are likely to attempt to bypass the GOP through the use of a budgetary tactic, they will have to win unanimous approval from every lawmaker in their caucus, including West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who is already balking at Biden’s plan to raise the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%. Manchin said he favors an increase to 25% and supports breaking up the infrastructure bill into smaller pieces of legislation.
