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-or-break week, serious roadblocks remain. One dispute is over how much money should go to public transit. But spending on highways, broadband and other 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 month 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.
Adding to the mix, Donald Trump issued a statement Monday disparaging Senate Republicans for even dealing with the Democrats on infrastructure, though it’s unclear what influence he has. The former president had failed at an infrastructure deal when he was in office.
The bipartisan package includes about $600 billion in new spending on public works projects. Democrats want to see more of the money go toward boosting public transportation, which includes subways, light-rail lines and buses, in line with Biden’s original infrastructure proposal and the push to address climate change.
The Democrats and the White House had sent what they called a “global” offer to Republicans on remaining issues late Sunday, according to a Democratic aide close to the talks granted anonymity to discuss them.
But Republicans rebuffed the ideas, according to a GOP aide also granted anonymity to discuss the private talks. The aide said the new proposal attempted to reopen issues that had already been resolved.
The Republicans believe the White House will need to show more flexibility if the talks are to be successful, the aide said.
The bipartisan group originally appeared to be moving toward agreement on more money for transit. But Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, the top Republican on the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, raised questions. He cited, in part, previous COVID-19 federal relief money that had already been allocated to public transit.