Republicans are already balking at President Joe Biden‘s proposed $2 trillion infrastructure plan and tax increases to pay for it.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called it a “Trojan horse” and said he is “not likely” to support it as he blasted the plans proposed “massive tax increases.”
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was pressed on whether the Democrats have a “realistic chance” at winning over Republicans on the infrastructure bill during an appearance on CNN’s “New Day” Wednesday.
“Let’s start on the areas where we agree,” she responded. “I think on infrastructure, one-third of our bridges around the country need to be rebuilt, need repairs. I think people can agree, Republicans, Democrats, independents, people who aren’t even political, we need to do something about that.”
She continued, “So, let’s talk about that investment and then figure out how to pay for it. Some people may think we don’t need to pay for it. Some people may have alternative ideas.”
Psaki noted that Biden has proposed raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%, which she said would make the corporate tax code “more fair.”
“If people have alternative proposals, we’re happy to hear them. Let’s talk about them. This is just the beginning of a process,” she added.
Watch the video below:
"Let's start on the areas where we agree," White House @PressSec Jen Psaki says about gaining Republican support for Biden's infrastructure bill that will be announced today. "If people have alternative proposals, we're happy to hear them. This is the beginning of a process." pic.twitter.com/T147tjszxZ
— New Day (@NewDay) March 31, 2021
Most legislation requires 60 votes in the Senate to pass due to the filibuster, which means Democrats could require at least 10 Republicans to side with them in voting “yes” on an infrastructure plan.
However, it is unclear if any Republicans will support Biden’s proposal or how flexible Democrats will be on the price tag of the bill.
When Biden introduced his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package earlier this year, a group of 10 Republican senators countered with a much smaller $600 billion package.
Biden met with the Republican senators, but the discussion was unsuccessful in bringing the price tag of the president’s proposal down.
After that meeting, Psaki poured cold water on the Republican proposal as she said Biden would “not settle for a package that fails to meet the moment.”
Democrats ultimately passed the relief package without any Republican votes. Senate Democrats used a process known as budget reconciliation which allows them to pass certain legislation with just a simple majority — typically 51 votes.
The Senate is currently divided 50-50, but Vice President Kamala Harris can cast the tie-breaking vote to advance certain legislation or nominations.
Now, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is reportedly exploring whether Democrats can use budget reconciliation again to pass Biden’s two-part infrastructure plan with a simple majority.
Senators have historically only been able to use reconciliation once per fiscal year.
However, Democrats believe a provision of the Congressional Budget Act would allow them to use reconciliation more than once, which could let them pass the infrastructure bill with no Republican support.
