WASHINGTON: US Senate Republicans on Thursday proposed a $928 billion counteroffer to President Joe Biden’s already pared-down infrastructure plan, as the opposing sides squabble over expanding the funding beyond traditional roads, public transport and ports.
The negotiations are seen as a crucial nexus for bipartisanship in a deeply divided Washington, with all eyes on whether the White House and Republicans reach a deal or Biden’s Democrats move to pass the huge measure without opposition buy-in.
The White House had proposed reducing the cost of the $2.3 trillion American Jobs Plan to $1.7 trillion by having other bills cover some of the projects it would pay for and cutting out some spending altogether.
Republicans rejected the comedown as insufficient. Their new roadmap is “a serious effort to try to reach a bipartisan agreement,” Senator Shelley Moore Capito told reporters as she introduced her party’s counteroffer.
“We believe that the alternative, which is a partisan reconciliation process, would be destructive to our future bipartisan attempts but also doesn’t serve the American public and wouldn’t get us to an infrastructure package such as the one we believe would serve the American interests.”
Biden told reporters he had a good conversation with Capito after she presented the counteroffer, adding: “I told her we have to finish this really soon.” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the Republican proposal was “encouraging” and that talks would continue.
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