Republicans nearly doubled their counteroffer to $1 trillion in negotiations with President Joe Biden over his infrastructure package.
“We’re not going to disturb the 2017 tax bill, which was the best economy of my lifetime,” Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) said. “We’re going to make it eight years, as the President said he would accept. We’re going to hit a figure, very close to what the President said he would accept.”
“It will end up being the most substantial infrastructure bill ever enacted by the federal government. And if the president gets to make the decision, he will accept this,” Wicker told Axios Tuesday about the second counter.
The Senate Republican’s first offer stood at $568 billion, which was rejected by the White House with a $1.7 trillion proposal Friday.
After Friday’s proposal, Republicans responded by claiming they were “further apart after two meetings with White House staff” than after one meeting with the president.
But the GOP’s Tuesday offering to Biden nearly doubled their first.
Negotiating tactics indicate the two sides may now be attempting to settle at around $1.2 trillion, presumably meeting in the middle.
It is unknown if the far-left Democrats, lead by Biden, will be able to include their Trojan horse agenda with a number around $1.2 trillion. It is also unknown if Republicans will support legislation of such expense after going further into debt to confront the Chinese flu, as the Republican offer does not include tax increases.
Republicans will meet with the White House behind closed doors Thursday to discuss the latest proposal.