Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 01:32 pm
President Biden told Senate Republicans that their latest offer on infrastructure is not good enough.
In a statement provided to PoliticusUSA, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said:
The President spoke to Senator Shelley Moore Capito and Chairman Peter DeFazio today.
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Senator Capito conveyed to the President a new offer from her group, which consisted of an about $50 billion increase in spending across a number of infrastructure programs. The President expressed his gratitude for her effort and goodwill but also indicated that the current offer did not meet his objectives to grow the economy, tackle the climate crisis, and create new jobs. He indicated to Senator Capito that he would continue to engage a number of Senators in both parties in the hopes of achieving a more substantial package. They agreed to speak again on Monday.
The President also spoke to Chairman DeFazio to thank him for all his hard work on key elements of the American Jobs Plan and to offer his support for the Committee mark-up that Chairman DeFazio will begin on Wednesday. The President and Chairman DeFazio agreed on the benefits of continued engagement with Democratic and Republican Senators as the House work on infrastructure advances this coming week.
This is Biden’s two-track strategy in action. The President is speaking to Republicans, but he is also working with Democrats to move the American Jobs Plan forward without Republican support.
President Biden is not allowing Republicans to slow down the process. He is happy to try to strike a bipartisan deal, but he is also moving his own agenda forward and not playing Mitch McConnell’s game of wasting valuable time on pointless negotiations.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
