Bipartisan group of lawmakers set to present infrastructure agreement to President Biden
Washington DC – After weeks of stalled talks, Republican and Democratic lawmakers are said to have come to a deal on a framework for Biden's proposed infrastructure package.
On Wednesday evening, senators and White House representatives reached a consensus on an infrastructure proposal, which they plan to present to President Biden on Thursday, according to the New York Times.
The bipartisan agreement reportedly includes $579 billion in new spending for roads, broadband internet, and other federal projects, part of a total of $1.2 trillion in investments over eight years. Biden's original proposal called for $2.25 trillion over ten years.
The financial details of the bipartisan proposal have not been disclosed, but it is expected the money will be generated in a way that doesn't jeopardize Biden's promise not to raise taxes on the middle class or Trump's 2017 business tax cuts.
"White House senior staff had two productive meetings today with the bipartisan group of senators who have been negotiating about infrastructure," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Wednesday.
"The group made progress toward an outline of a potential agreement, and the president has invited the group to come to the White House tomorrow to discuss this in person," she continued.
Biden is reportedly likely to agree to the proposal.
Progressives say the bipartisan bill doesn't go far enough
But not everyone is touting the bipartisan agreement, with some Democrats saying they want to pass a larger bill through budget reconciliation, which requires only 50 Senate votes rather than the usual 60.
The agreement leaves out much of the proposed spending for climate action, child care, and education. Many progressives have called out Biden, saying the new framework excludes important issues the president campaigned on.
Though conservative Democrats and business leaders continue to push a bipartisan approach, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders says $1.2 trillion is not enough, suggesting a reconciliation plan could go as high as $6 trillion.
The Vermont senator wants to create a system of "progressive taxation," levying taxes on the wealthy and corporations in order to fund child care and health care expansion.
In return, Sanders said he was willing to relax the $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions.
"I have a problem with extremely wealthy people being able to get the complete deduction," the senator said. "I think that’s an issue we’ll have to work on."
Cover photo: IMAGO / UPI Photo