Fighting within the Republican Party over a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill is getting intense, and some GOP strategists see it as a defining issue in next year’s primaries.
Talks between the White House and Senate Republicans over a bipartisan infrastructure plan are expected to dominate the Sunday shows this week as congressional Democrats
Instead, Biden will visit Congress and speak to a country seemingly just as divided as it was during last year’s presidential campaign and the polarizing months that followed.
Biden has yet to reach a compromise with Republicans on any legislative action, including the COVID-19 relief bill, which passed earlier this year with no GOP votes after Republicans offered a bill less than a third the size of the one favored by the White House.
ADVERTISEMENT
There are some signs that Biden and Republicans may be able to strike a deal on infrastructure or police reform. But there is plenty of skepticism, too.
“I voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. It had the desired effect of bringing capital back into this country, no corporate inversions, higher wages, lower unemployment,” said Capito, referring to a 2017 bill that cut the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent, when asked if Republicans would be open to any changes.
“I think that’s a non-negotiable red line,” she said. “For me personally, that’s a non-starter.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Capito s remark sparked Democratic criticism on Thursday, with Sen. Ron Wyden Republicans’ insistence that the most profitable companies in the world shouldn’t contribute a single penny to investments in roads, schools and our clean-energy future is simply not acceptable,” said Wyden, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, in a statement.
By Alexander Bolton and Amie Parnes - 02/06/21 06:05 AM EST
Senate Republicans are venting their frustration over what they see as long odds to negotiate a bipartisan COVID-19 relief bill with President Biden by blaming his staff for standing in the way.
Republican senators who met with Biden at the White House on Monday told colleagues after the meeting that White House chief of staff Ron Klain
“There’s certainly a mixed signal from him on the unity message,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer
ADVERTISEMENT
Cramer said Biden was “very engaged and well-prepared” for the meeting “but I also heard that his chief of staff stood at the back of the room and shook his head ‘no’ for every point.”