{"id":117106,"date":"2021-06-24T17:35:10","date_gmt":"2021-06-24T17:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fin2me.com\/?p=117106"},"modified":"2021-06-24T17:35:10","modified_gmt":"2021-06-24T17:35:10","slug":"mcconnell-undecided-on-infrastructure-plan-as-senators-head-to-white-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fin2me.com\/business\/mcconnell-undecided-on-infrastructure-plan-as-senators-head-to-white-house\/","title":{"rendered":"McConnell undecided on infrastructure plan as senators head to White House"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The top Republican in the U.S. Senate held off from supporting a bipartisan infrastructure proposal on Thursday, as the group of senators that crafted the plan prepared to present it to President Joe Biden at the White House.<\/p>

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), following a bipartisan meeting with U.S. senators about the proposed framework for the infrastructure bill, at the White House in Washington, U.S., June 24, 2021. REUTERS\/Kevin Lamarque<\/figcaption>

Members of the group of 21 senators, dubbed the \u201cG-21,\u201d reached agreement on Wednesday on the framework of a package to invest in the country\u2019s bridges, roads and other physical infrastructure after a meeting with White House officials.<\/p>\n

Republican senators briefed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on the plan at a morning meeting that included members of his leadership team, before heading to the White House to see the Democratic president.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe remains open-minded and he\u2019s listening,\u201d Senator Rob Portman, a leading Republican member of the G-21, told reporters after meeting with McConnell. \u201cHe hasn\u2019t made his decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

McConnell did not respond later to questions from reporters about his position.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve done a lot of good work. There\u2019s a good framework there,\u201d said Senator John Thune, the chamber\u2019s No. 2 Republican, who also met with McConnell. He told reporters that party leaders would wait for the White House\u2019s response and discuss the framework with members of the caucus.<\/p>\n

Democrats, who hold narrow control of both chambers of Congress, aim to pass a bipartisan bill but also push through another large-scale spending package over Republican opposition using a Senate maneuver called reconciliation here.<\/p>\n

The G-21 talks have focused on a $1.2 trillion, eight-year spending plan, with a mix of new and repurposed funding. It includes $559 billion in new spending.<\/p>\n

Portman said the senators would work to sell the plan to other lawmakers in both political parties.<\/p>\n

Related Coverage<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The two sides were due to meet at the White House at 11:45 a.m. EDT (1545 GMT), the White House said in a statement.<\/p>\n

For Biden, securing a large-scale infrastructure package is a top domestic priority.<\/p>\n

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Thursday he was \u201cencouraged\u201d by what he had heard of the proposal, though he cautioned that neither he nor House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, had seen it.<\/p>\n

Schumer also said a $1.2 trillion bill focused on physical infrastructure would not get the Democratic votes needed to pass it without an accompanying package tackling social issues including home healthcare.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll parties understand, we won\u2019t get enough votes to pass either, unless we have enough votes to pass both,\u201d Schumer said on the Senate floor. He said the Senate would aim for a vote on the bipartisan plan next month.<\/p>\n

Pelosi told reporters the House would not take action until the Senate passes both the bipartisan infrastructure bill and another \u201creconciliation\u201d bill expected to include Democratic infrastructure priorities that the other bill leaves out.<\/p>\n

STICKING POINT<\/h2>\n

The White House opened talks with the group after Biden broke off negotiations with Republican Senator Shelley Capito. The White House said her proposals had fallen short of meeting \u201cthe essential needs of our country\u201d.<\/p>

Slideshow ( 3 images )<\/span><\/figcaption>

Biden, seeking to fuel economic growth and address income inequality after the coronavirus pandemic, initially proposed spending about $2.3 trillion. Republicans chafed at his definition of infrastructure, which included fighting climate change and providing care for children and the elderly.<\/p>\n

The White House later trimmed the offer to about $1.7 trillion in an unsuccessful bid to win the Republican support needed for any plan to get the 60 votes required to advance most legislation in the evenly split 100-seat Senate.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe came to an agreement on a plan … and we\u2019re just going to try to wrap it up tomorrow,\u201d Democratic Senator Joe Manchin told reporters on Wednesday of the new plan.<\/p>\n

A major sticking point had been how to pay for the investments. Biden has pledged not to increase taxes on Americans earning less than $400,000 a year, while Republicans are determined to protect a 2017 cut in corporate taxes.<\/p>\n

Manchin said the framework encompassed a \u201clong list\u201d of mechanisms to pay for the spending, but he offered no specifics.<\/p>\n

Thune said there were questions about whether watchdogs, including the Congressional Budget Office, would recognize some of the funding mechanisms as achieving savings.<\/p>\n

Congressional Democrats are operating on two tracks.<\/p>\n

While they welcomed a bipartisan deal that could win enough Republican support to pass the Senate, they are also planning to bring up a separate measure with significant additional spending on unconventional infrastructure programs, such as home healthcare for the elderly.<\/p>\n

That measure would be brought up under special Senate rules for budget bills that would allow it to pass without any Republican support. In that case, Vice President Kamala Harris would be called upon to cast the tie-breaking vote.<\/p>\n

Source: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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