Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) asks questions during a joint hearing on Homeland Security and Government Affairs and Senate Rules and Senate Administration to discuss the January 6 attack on the US Capitol on March 3, 2021 in Washington, A.D.
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Republican Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri asked the Biden government on Sunday to reduce its infrastructure plan from $ 2 trillion to about $ 615 billion and focus on rebuilding physical infrastructure, such as roads and bridges.
In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Blunt – the fourth Republican in the Senate – argued that only 30% of the president’s proposal focuses on traditional infrastructure and said that the price reduction would allow the White House to approve the bill in both chambers of Congress.
“I think there is an easy victory here for the White House if they achieve this victory, which is to make this an infrastructure package, which is about 30% – even if you stretch the definition of infrastructure a little – it is about 30 % of the $ 2.25 trillion we’re talking about spending, “said Blunt.
“If we went back and looked at roads, bridges, ports and airports, and maybe even groundwater and broadband systems, you would still be talking about less than 30% of this whole package,” he added.
“I think 30% is about $ 615 billion,” said Blunt. “I think you can do that and with some innovative things, like seeing how we are going to deal with the use of electric vehicles in the road system, which we can do with public-private partnerships.”
The Republican lead’s comments follow Biden’s introduction of the infrastructure package last week, which focuses on rebuilding roads, bridges and airports, expanding access to broadband and fighting climate change by increasing the use of electric vehicles and updating the country’s electricity grid. The proposal also includes increasing the corporate tax rate to 28% to offset expenses.
Biden said he wants bipartisan support for the plan, but the chances are slim. Republicans are vehemently opposed to any tax hikes, arguing that they can hamper the economic recovery. Republicans also criticized the package for including initiatives that go beyond traditional infrastructure issues.
Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Said last week that the $ 2 trillion package would not receive Republican support and promised to oppose the broader Democratic agenda.
“I will fight them every step of the way, because I think this is the wrong recipe for America,” McConnell said at a news conference on Thursday.
Democrats would need to use the budget reconciliation process to approve the bill on their own, unless the White House changes the proposal to satisfy Republicans or 10 Senate Republicans break with McConnell.
The Biden government approved the $ 1.9 pandemic relief package in March without a Republican vote through budget reconciliation and could take a similar approach to infrastructure.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said on Sunday that she hopes the proposal will be approved with bipartisan support, but added that Biden is prepared to use reconciliation without Republicans.
“A lot of that includes priorities that Republicans supported, so I hope Democrats and Republicans can vote ‘yes’ on this package,” Granholm said during an interview with CNN.
Brian Deese, director of the National Economic Council, said on Sunday that Biden’s infrastructure plan is the key to stimulating job growth as the country recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.
“We will also think in the long term, about where these investments we can make will really drive not just more job growth, but better job growth,” Deese said in an interview with Fox News. “Not just job growth in the short term, but job growth in the long run, by investing in our infrastructure.”