Yesterday, a bipartisan group of 21 senators announced support for a nearly $1 trillion traditional infrastructure framework.POLITICO reports the framework, which now has the support of 11 Republican senators, does not include any tax increases and is instead funded through a combination of revenue raisers that include repurposing COVID relief funds and reducing the IRS tax gap.
Additionally, the plan “includes $579 billion in new spending to rebuild America’s roads and bridges, improve public transit systems, invest in broadband infrastructure, and upgrade our airports.” Backers of the framework said they will now focus on building support among their respective caucuses and with the administration.
In a statement, the group of senators said they “support this bipartisan framework that provides an historic investment in our nation’s core infrastructure needs without raising taxes. We look forward to working with our Republican and Democratic colleagues to develop legislation based on this framework to address America’s critical infrastructure challenges.”
Punchbowl News reports Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), who lead the current bipartisan infrastructure negotiations in the Senate, will brief members of the House Problem Solvers Caucus on the framework today. As previously reported in Inroads, the Problem Solvers Caucus released its own infrastructure proposal last week, which closely resembles the current Senate framework.
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Budget Committee Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) met with Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee to discuss having a budget resolution crafted for passage in July. Also reported by POLITICO, if a bipartisan infrastructure deal comes together, Leader Schumer wants a budget resolution ready to go so Democrats can use reconciliation to pass Biden’s remaining priorities without Republican support.
This article was provided to OSAE by ASAE's Power of A and Inroads.