White House senior adviser Cedric Richmond said Sunday that President Joe Biden intends to “change course” if the current approach of bipartisan talks with Republicans on achieving an infrastructure package stall.
Richmond’s comments come as Biden and his administration are endeavoring to convince Republicans to accept their scope of what an infrastructure package should entail while proposing a $1.7 trillion measure scaled down from the original $2.3 trillion proposal in an effort to counter the Republican offer of a $568 billion package.
Republicans are calling for infrastructure spending but have repeatedly voiced concerns that Biden’s package contains provisions that are extraneous and have little to do with infrastructure. They are also apprehensive about rolling back Trump-era tax cuts, a key feature of Biden’s plan. To pay for the $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan, the White House is proposing to raise the corporate tax rate to 28 percent from the current 21 percent.
Richmond suggested that Biden may withdraw his commitment to a bipartisan measure if the parties’ disagreement leads to inevitable stalling.
“He wants a deal. He wants it soon, but if there’s meaningful negotiations taking place in a bipartisan manner, he’s willing to let that play out. But again, he will not let inaction be the answer. And when he gets to the point where it looks like that is inevitable, you’ll see him change course,” Richmond said during an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union.”
But Richmond added that, for now, the administration is seeking to take a bipartisan route.
To achieve a slightly smaller $1.7 trillion proposal, the White House offered to reduce spending on broadband to match the $65 billion that Republicans are proposing. Funding for research, development, supply chains, and other provisions have also been shifted to other legislation.
The Republican plan has also proposed $299 billion for roads and bridges, $61 billion for public transit, $61 billion for airports and ports, $20 billion for rail, $49 billion for water, and $13 billion for safety. House Republicans are also proposing funding into regulatory reform.
BY JANITA KAN
