Biden, GOP Leaders Say Infrastructure Deal Possible
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Republican congressional leaders said it may be possible to reach agreement with Joe Biden on an infrastructure plan after meeting May 12 with the president at the White House.
Biden told reporters at the beginning of the meeting that he’d see if he could “reach some consensus on a compromise” on his infrastructure proposal with the House and Senate GOP leaders, Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell.
“We’re going to talk a lot about infrastructure today to see if there’s any way we can reach a compromise that gets the people’s work done and is within the bounds of why we ran,” Biden said in brief remarks before reporters were ushered out of the Oval Office. “And that’s the purpose of this meeting.”
McCarthy called the 90-minute meeting “very strong” and said “there is a place where we can find bipartisanship.”
But he and McConnell said they had told Biden they would not revisit 2017 tax cuts enacted under former President Donald Trump, ruling out Biden’s proposal to raise the corporate rate from 21%. “That’s our red line,” McConnell said.
Kevin McCarthy (left) and Mitch McConnell meet the media after their visit to the White House May 12 to negotiate on infrastructure. (Evan Vucci/Associated Press)
Both Republicans also said that infrastructure should be defined in a more limited way than the White House envisions, restricting new spending to physical projects such as roads and bridges. Biden included investments in broadband access, child care and other programs in his plan.
The White House is ramping up efforts to advance the president’s $4 trillion infrastructure and families plan. Biden’s meeting with McConnell, McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is the first official gathering of the so-called “Big Four” congressional leaders since the president’s inauguration.
“I am more optimistic now that we will do so in a bipartisan way,” Pelosi said. “But we’ll see.”
The timing is crucial — the White House has said it wants to see Congress advance legislation by Memorial Day. But the meeting also may help satisfy moderate Democrats who have insisted on outreach to Republicans as the plans are developed.
As a candidate, Biden said the relationships he built during his three decades in the Senate could help pass bipartisan bills through the closely divided Congress. But he received no Republican votes for his stimulus package, and finding agreement on his sweeping economic plans could prove even more difficult.
GOP lawmakers have balked at the price tag for his plans, which would dramatically expand the social safety net along with funding new roads, bridges and rail lines.
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