Advisers Say Biden Still Not Convinced on Infrastructure Proposal
According to advisers to the President, Biden is still not convinced on the infrastructure plan proposed by a group of bipartisan lawmakers, specifically for its inclusion of tax hikes that will affect the middle class.
Top advisers to Biden say that the President is unwilling to support certain tax increases as part of a final infrastructure deal and will continue to explore other funding methods to support a much-needed infrastructure plan.
According to an article by Josh Wingrove for Bloomberg, “the aides fanned out for appearances across several networks on Monday to reiterate Biden’s core goals in a deal.”
These aides, including National Economic Council Director Brian Deese, Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Jared Bernstein, all discusses President Biden’s issue with the methods being explored to fund the bipartisan proposal such as increasing taxes on middle class families and increasing the gasoline tax.
In addition, the White House has also expressed opposition to the usage of COVID-19 relief money allocated by the American Rescue Plan to fund the plan, as well as the addition of a fee on electric vehicles.
“We’re making progress, particularly on key investments that we need to build out our nation’s infrastructure and prepare for the clean energy economy that is coming,” Deese told CNN on Monday, as quoted in the article by Wingrove. “We still have some sticking points, particularly around how we pay for this.”
The time will soon come where lawmakers will have to come to a vote on the plan. As some lawmakers continue to seek bipartisanship, some Democrats have already started eyeing reconciliation.
