President Joe Biden plans to meet with Republican Sens. Mitt Romney (R-UT) and John Hoeven (R-ND) at the White House on Monday, to discuss his proposed $2.5 trillion spending plan.
Democrat Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), as well as Sen. Angus King (I-ME), will join in on the meeting.
House members will include Democrats Reps. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Charlie Crist (D-FL) and Norma Torres (D-CA). Reps. Carlos Giménez (R-FL) and Kay Granger (R-TX) will represent Republicans.
Romney is one of a group of Republicans preparing an alternate infrastructure plan that would spend less money and explore raising user fees, gas taxes, or even a mileage tax to pay for it.
The Utah senator detailed his thoughts to Capitol Hill reporters on a proposal to spend $600-800 billion.
He said:
The pay-for ought to come from the people who are using it. If it’s an airport, the people who are flying. If it’s a port, the people who are shipping into the port. If it’s highways, it ought to be gas if it’s a gasoline-powered vehicle. If it’s an electric vehicle some kind of mileage associated with that electric vehicle that would be similar to a gas tax.
Senate Democrats would rather raise corporate tax rates from 21 percent to 25 percent to help pay for the plan, Axios reported, even though Biden proposed a 28 percent corporate tax hike.
At Biden’s last meeting with members of congress, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) told the president undoing the Republican tax cuts would make his spending plan an “impossible sell.”