Get 40% Off
🤯 This Tech Portfolio is up 29% YTD! Join Now to Get April’s Top PicksGet The Picks – Just 99 USD

Biden sees infrastructure compromise, despite Republican 'red line' on taxes

Published 05/12/2021, 06:05 AM
Updated 05/12/2021, 06:21 PM
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the April jobs report from the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., May 7, 2021.  REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the April jobs report from the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., May 7, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

By Jeff Mason and Jarrett Renshaw

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he sees room for a compromise on his proposal for trillions of dollars in infrastructure spending after meeting with Republican leaders but will move forward without the opposition party if necessary.

In their first White House meeting since Biden, a Democrat, took office in January, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and House of Representatives Republican leader Kevin McCarthy signaled a willingness to work with the president on infrastructure but drew the line at tax increases.

Biden told reporters after the nearly two-hour meeting that he saw some reason to be optimistic.

"I'm generically encouraged that there's room to have a compromise on a bipartisan bill that's solid and significant," he told reporters.

In an interview with MSNBC he indicated an interest in passing part of his package with bipartisan support and part of it without.

"Let's see if we can get that agreement to kick-start this and then fight over what's left," Biden said in the interview. "We'll see if I can get it done without Republicans if need be."

Biden's $2.25 trillion infrastructure bill and a $1.8 trillion education and childcare plan have faced sharp resistance from Republicans in Congress, with disagreements over the price tag, scope and funding proposals.

"You won't find any Republicans who are gonna go raise taxes. I think that's the worst thing you can do in this economy," McCarthy said after the talks in the Oval Office. He cited rising gasoline prices as a reason not to back tax increases.

McConnell said Republicans were "not interested" in reopening a 2017 legislative effort that cut taxes for companies and the wealthy under former Republican President Donald Trump.

"We both made that clear to the president. That's our red line," McConnell said.

Before a pipeline outage caused fuel prices to spike, Republicans and businesses suggested "user fees" such as raising gasoline taxes instead, a more traditional form of infrastructure funding.

Biden has expressed concern that such a model would hurt lower-income Americans. His investment plans, and intention to tax wealthy Americans and companies to cover the cost, are popular with voters from both parties.

But recent history does not augur well for a deal.

No Republicans voted for Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan that passed in March. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Democrat, said on Tuesday the Biden administration was "not going to wait a long time if we don't see that agreement is possible."

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Biden did not want to raise taxes on working Americans.

"His bottom line is that inaction is unacceptable, and that he is not going to raise taxes on the American people who are making less than $400,000 a year, but he's open to a range of proposals," she told a briefing.

Biden has said he wants to raise the U.S. corporate tax rate to between 25% and 28%, from 21%, to pay for badly needed infrastructure.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, said she felt more optimistic about prospects for a bipartisan infrastructure bill after the meeting, which she attended.

"We have a different set of values. But what we did agree in the meeting is: Let's agree on what we're trying to achieve. And then we can talk about how we pay for it. Let's not lead with a disagreement. We'll find a way because the public knows that this is necessary," Pelosi told reporters.

CHENEY EXPULSION

McCarthy came to the White House talks shortly after leading his House Republican colleagues in expelling Liz Cheney from their leadership team for rejecting Trump's false claims that Biden stole last year's election.

McCarthy, who has sought to placate Trump, cast Cheney's dismissal from the No. 3 Republican leadership post in the House as necessary to unify Republicans and reclaim control of the House in 2022.

Psaki said the Republicans' support for Trump's false claims would not get in the way of Biden attempting to work with them.

"The president is no stranger to working with people who he disagrees with ... or who he has massive fundamental disagreement with," she said.

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the April jobs report from the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., May 7, 2021.  REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Congressional Democrats are giving Biden plenty of room to try to broker a deal, but they are preparing for the possibility of moving a massive spending bill along strictly party lines if Republicans do not join in negotiations, according to congressional and White House sources.

Democrats in Congress may struggle, however, to retain the necessary support of enough of their own members to pass Biden's spending proposals through both chambers, where they have slim majorities. They are betting the sheer volume of the spending measures will include enough attractive items to overcome any internal opposition, the sources told Reuters.

Latest comments

Just print the money, and let's get started. Another 2 Trillion is nothing.We will pay 8$ for gas and a gallon of milk, but who cares.
This means.  Shemales will get handouts, and cash
All past data shows that higher taxes sre worse for our country, yet democrats still push for them.
Like anyone cares what Republicans think
We made America great.
First, Biden is President in name only.  Bernie and Kamala are the thoughts and actions behind Biden’s words.  If the government cannot collect enough tax dollars from luxury taxes (Cannabis, liquor, tobacco, gambling and lotteries), then build Toll Roads to pay for infrastructure.  Increasing taxes upon the very people who create jobs are counterproductive and socialistic.
When hes not busy giving US dollars to ***groups like hamas...
If thars what you want dial up romney and cheney
Biden has early Alzheimers, and the left will not question his health. The mainstream media also complicit will not ask about his health. At this point this is elderly abuse Biden is not able to have a normal conversation.
It shows the evil extremes the left will go to to maintain power. Very similar to the tactics of dictitorial regimes when a dictator becomes ill.
Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.