President Biden is targeting the summer for approval of his infrastructure package, expected to cost more than $3 trillion, aiming for more collaboration with Republicans in Congress, White House officials said.
Biden’s “Build Back Better” plan will center around investing in infrastructure improvements across the country after proposals from the two previous administrations did not materialize.
The president intends to unveil parts of the plan, which could cause $3 trillion in tax increases, in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported.
The upcoming infrastructure package is expected to recover domestic manufacturing and ensure the U.S. keeps up with China’s economy, as well as to fight climate change, officials told the AP.
But the White House does not plan to treat the “Build Back Better” plan as much as an emergency as the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which received no Republican support in either chamber of Congress earlier this month.
White House officials told the AP that the administration is aiming to make progress on the infrastructure package by Memorial Day and get it through Congress over the summer.
“The president has a plan to fix our infrastructure and a plan to pay for it,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during Monday’s briefing. “But we certainly expect to have the discussion with members of Congress as we move forward about areas where they agree, where they disagree, where they would like to see greater emphasis or not.”
After Biden’s call for unity and a pledge to work with both sides of the aisle, the president is expected to put a greater emphasis on getting Republican support through outreach to Congress.
“If they share a goal of building our infrastructure for the future, but don’t like the way he’s going to propose to pay for it, we’re happy to look at their proposals,” Psaki said at the briefing. “If they don’t want to pay for it, I guess they can propose that, too. Maybe they don’t support infrastructure spending.”
But GOP members are worried about the price tag and expected tax increases, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) saying Monday in Kentucky, “Let’s do an infrastructure bill. Let’s not turn it into a massive effort to raise taxes on businesses and individuals.”