Senate Republicans said there are “vast differences” between them and senior White House officials over how much to spend on a new infrastructure package and how to pay for it, leaving little hope of a bipartisan deal anytime soon.
A spokeswoman for Sen. Shelley Moore CapitoShelley Wellons Moore CapitoOn The Money: White House counters with .7 trillion infrastructure proposal, GOP unimpressed | USDA to start loan forgiveness for thousands of minority farmers Senate GOP warns of ‘vast differences’ with White House on infrastructure Overnight Energy: Judge denies tribal request for temporary Dakota Access Pipeline shutdown | Biden holds firm on climate provisions in infrastructure counterproposal | G-7 countries commit to restrict international coal funding MORE (W.Va.), one of the lead GOP negotiators, said a White House counteroffer proposed during a Friday afternoon conference call with GOP lawmakers was “well above the range of what can pass Congress with bipartisan support.”
White House officials presented to the Senate Republicans a $1.7 trillion infrastructure spending plan, which represents a $550 billion reduction to President BidenJoe BidenJudge agrees to unseal 2020 ballots in Georgia county for audit George Floyd’s family to visit White House on Tuesday Biden: US will provide vaccinations for South Korean service members MORE’s $2.25 trillion American Jobs Plan.
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That offer fell flat with Capito and other Republicans.
“There continue to be vast differences between the White House and Senate Republicans when it comes to the definition of infrastructure, the magnitude of proposed spending, and how to pay for it,” said Kelley Moore, a spokeswoman for Capito.
“Based on today’s meeting, the groups seem further apart after two meetings with White House staff than they were after one meeting with President Biden,” the aide added.
Capito participated in a conference call Friday with White House senior staff along with Sens. John BarrassoJohn Anthony BarrassoSenate GOP warns of ‘vast differences’ with White House on infrastructure White House counters with .7 trillion infrastructure proposal in GOP talks Top Interior lawyer nominee quizzed over public records law MORE (R-Wyo.), Roy BluntRoy Dean BluntSenate GOP warns of ‘vast differences’ with White House on infrastructure White House counters with .7 trillion infrastructure proposal in GOP talks Democrats, GOP face crowded primaries as party leaders lose control MORE (R-Mo.), Mike CrapoMichael (Mike) Dean CrapoSenate GOP warns of ‘vast differences’ with White House on infrastructure White House counters with .7 trillion infrastructure proposal in GOP talks Schumer tactics on China bill reveal broader trade strategy MORE (R-Idaho), Pat ToomeyPatrick (Pat) Joseph ToomeySasse rebuked by Nebraska Republican Party over impeachment vote Philly GOP commissioner on censures: ‘I would suggest they censure Republican elected officials who are lying’ Toomey censured by several Pennsylvania county GOP committees over impeachment vote MORE (R-Pa.) and Roger WickerRoger Frederick WickerSenate GOP warns of ‘vast differences’ with White House on infrastructure White House counters with .7 trillion infrastructure proposal in GOP talks GOP senators introduce bill to reimpose waived Nord Stream sanctions MORE (R-Miss.).
The subtle jab at White House staff echoes a criticism that Republican senators voiced during the failed talks over Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which was focused on pandemic relief.
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The 10 Republicans who negotiated with Biden earlier this year on COVID-19 relief said Biden initially seemed receptive to their ideas during a Feb. 1 Oval Office meeting but that White House advisers, including White House chief of staff Ron KlainRon KlainSenate GOP warns of ‘vast differences’ with White House on infrastructure CDC back under scrutiny after new mask guidance New models for pandemic response can be found in existing agencies MORE, later reined in the talks.
Capito’s spokeswoman said the GOP group would review the White House counteroffer and “continue to engage in conversations with the administration.”
Sen. Ed MarkeyEd MarkeySenate GOP warns of ‘vast differences’ with White House on infrastructure Online school raises new concerns about cyberbullying Senate Commerce advances Biden’s top science nominee MORE (D-Mass.), a prominent progressive, pounced on the lack of progress at Friday’s meeting to call on Democratic leaders to move forward quickly with a large infrastructure that would need to special protection under the budget reconciliation process to bypass a GOP filibuster.
“Now is the time to go big, to go bold, and to go fast. This is not the time for half-measures, half-spending or foot-dragging,” Markey said in a statement. “Let’s not waste time trading the necessary scope and scale of this critical infrastructure package for Congressional Republican votes that have yet to and will never materialize.”
A White House memo sent to Capito on Friday estimated that the proposal she submitted to administration officials this week would increase “new” infrastructure investment by only $50 billion.
The Biden-Harris team estimated that Capito’s road map “would increase new investment, above current levels Congress has traditionally funded, from about $175 billion to $225 billion.”
“We recognize that still leaves us far apart,” the memo stated. “However, in service of trying to advance these negotiations, the President has asked us to respond with changes to his American jobs plan.
The proposed White House changes included addressing manufacturing, research and development and supply chain investments separately, modifying investment in broadband, and providing $27 billion for an infrastructure financing facility to leverage private capital for energy infrastructure projects.