President Joe Biden turned down an offer from Senate Republicans to increase the spending in their proposed infrastructure bill to nearly a trillion dollars.
Sen. Shelley Capito (R-WV) spoke with Biden on the phone Friday, offering to increase their proposed $928 billion infrastructure spending bill by an extra $50 billion.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki noted that Biden was not satisfied with the offer, demanding more spending.
“The President expressed his gratitude for her effort and goodwill, but also indicated that the current offer did not meet his objectives to grow the economy, tackle the climate crisis, and create new jobs,” she said in a statement to reporters.
While Republicans want a more narrow infrastructure bill, Biden wants dramatic spending deals to subsidize wind and solar energy and infrastructure for electric vehicles.
Senate Republicans and the White House also remain at odds over how to pay for the bill, as Biden wants to increase the corporate tax rate to 28 percent. He also proposed a 15 percent minimum tax on corporations like Amazon, enjoying tax loopholes allowing them to pay little or no taxes.
Members of Congress return to Washington, DC, next week for further talks with the president on the infrastructure bill.
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