Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) asks questions during a joint Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs & Senate Rules and Administration hearing to discuss the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol on March 3, 2021 in Washington, DC.
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Republican Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri urged the Biden government on Sunday to reduce its $ 2 trillion infrastructure plan to about $ 615 billion and focus on rebuilding physical infrastructure such as roads and bridges.
In an interview with Fox News Sunday, Blunt – the fourth-place Republican in the Senate – argued that only 30% of the president’s proposal focuses on traditional infrastructure, saying that by lowering the price, the White House will pass on the bill. both chambers of Congress.
“I think there is an easy victory for the White House here if they took that victory, which means this is an infrastructure package, which is about 30% – even if you stretch the definition of infrastructure a bit – it’s about 30% of the $ 2.25 trillion we’re talking about spending, ”said Blunt.
“If we went back and looked at roads and bridges and ports and airports, and maybe even underground water systems and broadband, you’d 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 look at how we deal with the use of electric vehicles on the highway system, what we can do with public-private partnerships.”
The top Republican’s comments follow Biden’s introduction of the infrastructure package last week, which focuses on rebuilding roads, bridges and airports, expanding broadband access and combating climate change by boosting the use of electric vehicles and the country’s electricity grid. The proposal also includes an increase in the corporate tax rate to 28% to offset the expenses.
Biden has said he wants bipartisan support for the plan, but the odds are slim. Republicans have strongly opposed any tax hikes, arguing that they could hinder economic recovery. Republicans have also criticized the package for containing initiatives that go beyond traditional infrastructure issues.
Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Said last week that the $ 2 trillion package would not receive Republican support and pledged to oppose the broader Democratic agenda.
“I’m going to fight them every step of the way because I think this is the wrong recipe for America,” McConnell said at a press conference on Thursday.
Democrats should use the budget reconciliation process to pass the bill themselves unless the White House changes the proposal to please Republicans or 10 Senate Republicans break with McConnell.
The Biden administration passed the $ 1.9 pandemic relief package in March without a Republican vote through budget reconciliation and could take a similar approach with the infrastructure.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said on Sunday that she hopes the proposal will be passed with bipartisan support, but added that Biden is willing to use reconciliation without Republicans.
“So much of this includes priorities that Republicans have backed, so I hope Democrats and Republicans can be ‘yes’ on this package in the final vote,” Granholm said during an interview on CNN.
Brian Deese, director of the National Economic Council, said on Sunday that Biden’s infrastructure plan is key to boosting job growth as the country recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.
“For the longer term, too, let’s think about where those investments we can make will not only generate more job growth but also 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 term, by investing in our infrastructure.”