Infrastructure talks face new trouble
WASHINGTON >> Senators were running into new problems Monday as they raced to seal a bipartisan infrastructure deal with pressure mounting on all sides to show progress on President Joe Biden’s top priority.
Heading into a make-orbreak week, serious roadblocks remain. One dispute is over how much money should go to public transit. But spending on highways, water projects, broadband and others areas remains unresolved, too, as is whether to take unspent COVID-19 relief funds to help pay for the infrastructure.
Democrats and the White House sent a fresh “global” offer to resolve remaining issues, but it was rebuffed early Monday by Republicans as “discouraging” — a setback for a hoped-for afternoon deal.
Biden, asked about the outlook, told reporters at the White House he remained optimistic about reaching a compromise.
The week ahead is crucial after more than a monthlong slog of negotiations since Biden and the bipartisan group first celebrated the contours of the bipartisan agreement in June at the White House.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has said he wants to pass the nearly $1 trillion bipartisan package as well as the blueprint for a larger $3.5 trillion budget plan before the Senate leaves for its August recess.
The White House wants a bipartisan agreement for this first phase, but as talks drag on anxious Democrats, who have slim control of the House and Senate, could leave Republicans behind and try to go it alone. If it fails, it could be wrapped into the broader package of Biden’s priorities that Democrats are hoping to pass later.