Biden Shuts Down Infrastructure Negotiations With Republicans
Hopes of a compromise dimmed as entrenched divisions prompted President Joe Biden to call off compromise talks over the infrastructure bill with a group of six Republicans, led by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia. The White House will turn attention to another bipartisan proposal or look to pass measures through reconciliation.
The New York Times:
Biden Ends Infrastructure Talks With Republicans, Falling Short Of A Deal
President Biden on Tuesday ended a weekslong effort to reach a deal with Senate Republicans on an expansive infrastructure plan, cutting off negotiations that had failed to persuade them to embrace his bid to pour $1 trillion into the nation’s aging public works system and safety-net programs. It was a major setback to Mr. Biden’s effort to attract Republican support for his top domestic priority, which had always faced long odds over the size, scope and financing of the package. Most Republicans have made it clear they are willing to spend only a fraction of what Democrats want on a much narrower initiative, and balked at any tax increases to pay for it. (Cochrane, 6/8)
The Wall Street Journal:
President Biden Ends Infrastructure Talks With Senate GOP Group
President Biden called off an effort to reach an infrastructure compromise with several Senate Republicans after progress stalled, shifting his focus to a separate set of negotiations with a group of Republicans and Democrats in an effort to salvage a bipartisan deal on the issue. At the same time, Senate Democrats signaled they were preparing to move at least part of an infrastructure package forward through a process relying on only Democratic support. (Duehren, Siddiqui and Peterson, 6/9)
Fox News:
Bipartisan Caucus Endorses Its Own Proposal After Infrastructure Talks Fizzle
Shortly after talks on President Biden's infrastructure plan fell through on Tuesday when talks between the White House and Republican senators fizzled, there was significant movement on an additional bipartisan effort to come up with a deal. The House Problem Solvers Caucus voted and endorsed its own proposal: an 8-year package that comes with a $1.249 trillion price tag, including about $500 billion in new spending. (The actual new spending is $761.8 billion over the timeframe, but an aide for Rep. Josh Gottheimer, the Democrat co-chair of the caucus, made an error. It is yet to be seen if the revised number becomes an issue going forward. The error does not affect the total price tag.) (Heinrich and DeMarche, 6/9)
Roll Call:
After Infrastructure Talks Collapse, Two Options For Biden
The collapse of negotiations between the White House and a group of Senate Republicans on an infrastructure spending package leaves President Joe Biden with two options to advance his ambitious public works vision: bipartisan agreements where possible and budget reconciliation rules where not. (Wehrman and Lesniewski, 6/8)
