White House Senior Adviser: ‘We Want a Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill’
Biden cut his price tag, and now he wants to see something in good faith from the Republicans
His big infrastructure plan is obviously very important to President Biden.
After all, called the American Jobs Plan, it's aimed at generating potentially millions of good-paying, new American jobs while jumpstarting a once-in-a-generation opportunity to modernize and refurbish US infrastructure across the board: roads and bridges, yes, but also renovating aging and unsafe drinking water supplies, enhancing the reliability of the electric grid, and beginning to build-out the clean energy infrastructure of tomorrow.
And more.
So it was clearly a significant move when the president last week demonstrated willingness to saw more than half-a-trillion dollars from the plan, to $1.7 trillion down from the original $2.25 trillion.
It was an attempt to demonstrate that Biden is willing to work in good faith with recalcitrant congressional Republicans, according to word from the White House.
“I think the president coming down $550 billion off of his initiative proposal, I think, shows the willingness to negotiate in good faith and in a serious manner. The real question is whether the Republicans will meet the effort that the president is showing," said White House senior adviser and former Democratic congressman Cedric Richmond. “He came down on two areas, infrastructure and broadband, both areas that are important to him. But it’s a sincere effort to move this country forward.”
However, as with his COVID-19 stimulus American Rescue Plan which ultimately passed only with Democratic votes, Biden wants results — not inaction, Richmond said.
“Look, he wants a deal. He wants it soon. But there are meaningful negotiations taking place in a bipartisan manner. He’s willing to let that play out but again he will not let inaction be the answer. When it gets to the point where that looks inevitable, you’ll see him change course,” he said. “For now we’re engaged in what we want to be a bipartisan infrastructure bill that invests in the backbone of this country, the middle class and our future.”
And, as for Republican complaints that there are elements — such as the investments in clean energy — that don't belong in a so-called “infrastructure bill,” President Biden respectfully disagrees, according to Richmond.
“Look, the president is very clear, and many of the business leaders around the country are clear. The country has to compete for the future,” Richmond said. “And electric vehicles are important to the president. So it’s in there. And he did not come down on that. And the human investment is important to the president. So the red lines that the president has dictated, he will not raise taxes on people who make less than $400,000 a year. He will not let inaction be the final answer. And he’s going to continue to invest in the American people and the infrastructure so we can win tomorrow.”