A bipartisan Senate group agreed with President Joe Biden Thursday on a $579 Billion infrastructure deal, which excludes tax hikes and climate provisions – exclusions far-left Senate Democrats demanded.
The plan specifies $579 billion in total new spending with $312 billion for transportation, and $266 billion for other traditional infrastructure items.
The reported items of the deal include the following:
- Reduce the IRS tax gap
- Unemployment insurance
- Redirect unused unemployment insurance relief funds
- Repurpose unused relief funds from 2020 emergency relief legislation
- State and local investment in broadband infrastructure
- Allow states to sell or purchase unused toll credits for infrastructure
- Extend expiring customs user fees
- Reinstate superfund fees for chemicals
- 5G spectrum auction proceeds
- Extend mandatory sequester
- Strategic petroleum reserve sale
- Public private partnership, private activity bonds, direct pay bonds and asset recycling for infrastructure investment
- Macroeconomic impact of infrastructure investment
Far-left Senate Democrats have already thrown up red flags at the deal due to the exclusion of climate provisions.
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) stated to a Forbes reporter shortly after the deal was agreed upon that “This bipartisan deal, it’s not enough. It doesn’t meet the moment.”
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) also explained he was “not willing to support throwing climate overboard.”
In another tweet that has since been deleted, Wyden added, “he wants an assurance the bipartisan package tied to any larger reconciliation bill.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Biden backed up Wyden’s position Thursday by saying, “There will be no infrastructure bill unless we have a reconciliation bill.”
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said Thursday she opposes the deal in a tweet:
The diversity of this “bipartisan coalition” pretty perfectly conveys which communities get centered and which get left behind when leaders prioritize bipartisan dealmaking over inclusive lawmaking (which prioritizes delivering the most impact possible for the most people)
This is why a bipartisan pkg alone isn’t acceptable. The exclusion & denial of our communities is what DC bipartisan deals require. That’s how you get GOP on board : don’t do much/any for the working class & low income,or women, or poc communities, or unions,etc. We must do more.
“That’s why folks can sometimes come across as careless when saying, ‘well isn’t something better than nothing?’” she added.