President Joe Biden appears to be growing antsy with Senate Republicans over plodding infrastructure negotiations as they blow past his Memorial Day deadline.
Biden told reporters Thursday that he is encouraged by a second Republican counteroffer worth $928 billion, which was presented by West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and five other GOP lawmakers.
“I had a good conversation, very brief but a good conversation, with Capito, senator, and I told them to contact me next week. I told her we have to finish this very soon, and there’s another Republican group that also wants to talk. But we’re going to have to close this down soon,” he said.
REPUBLICANS SPOTLIGHT DISCORD BETWEEN BIDEN AND ALLIES AS INFRASTRUCTURE TALKS HIT CRITICAL JUNCTURE
The White House still believes Capito’s counteroffer underfunds projects investing in veterans hospitals, rail and transit systems, and water quality by removing lead pipes, according to press secretary Jen Psaki.
“Lastly, we are concerned that the proposal on how to pay for the plan remains unclear: we are worried that major cuts in COVID relief funds could imperil pending aid to small businesses, restaurants, and rural hospitals using this money to get back on their feet after the crush of the pandemic,” she said in a statement.
Next week’s meetings will be critical for Capito as the second group of senators collaborates on a competing pitch. That group is led by Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Rob Portman of Ohio, and Mitt Romney of Utah, as well as West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat.
“Though there are no votes in Congress next week, we will work actively with members of the House and Senate next week, so that there is a clear direction on how to advance much-needed jobs legislation when Congress resumes legislative business during the week of June 7,” Psaki wrote.
The White House initially marked Memorial Day as a deadline for “progress” to be made on a possible bipartisan infrastructure deal. The White House originally proposed a $2.3 trillion plan before scaling it back to $1.7 trillion in response to Capito’s first counteroffer of $568 billion.
“The Memorial Day timeline was always an opportunity for us to make an assessment of what the path forward looks like,” Psaki told reporters later aboard Air Force One as Biden flew to Ohio for an economic address.
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Capito’s second counteroffer includes a $91 billion, $48 billion, and $22 billion increase over baseline spending on roads and bridges, water, and passenger and freight rail projects, respectively. It also incorporates a one-time $25 billion and $65 billion funding hike for airports and broadband improvements.
