Joe Biden Pushes More Infrastructure Tax Hikes Despite Deal with Moderate Republicans

President Joe Biden continued pressing for higher taxes Tuesday, even though Senate Republicans called it a “red line” in their infrastructure deal.

The president traveled to La Crosse, Wisconsin, on Tuesday to promote his bipartisan deal with Senate moderates but repeatedly spoke about the importance of raising taxes. The deal reached with Republicans does not raise taxes to pay for infrastructure.

Biden called for the corporate tax rate to go from 21 percent to 28 percent, a minimum global tax for corporations, and ending deductions for companies storing profits overseas.

“I have never had a reputation of being someone who’s out there trying to just out-tax people,” Biden said. “But here’s the deal folks. I think it’s about time there be fairness in the tax code.”

Biden specifically criticized the tax cuts Congress passed under President Donald Trump, arguing they only benefited the wealthy.

But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has said any changes to the 2017 tax bill would be deal stoppers.

“That’s our one red line,” McConnell said Thursday. “We’re not going to revisit the 2017 tax bill.”

Biden, however, argued it was time to raise taxes to generate more revenue for “human infrastructure” such as free college, free childcare, and free preschool.

“The human infrastructure is intertwined with our physical infrastructure,” he said.

The president promoted his American Families Plan, which would dramatically raise taxes if passed with a simple majority of Senate Democrats through budget reconciliation

“I’m not trying to punish anybody. I’m just trying to be fair,” Biden said, referring to his proposed tax hikes.

He also promoted his plan to send checks to parents of children direct cash payments as part of his expanded child tax credit.

“You’ll actually get a cash payment instead of just a credit against your taxes, because you don’t pay that many taxes if you’re making minimum wage,” he said.

He ridiculed people who described his program as a “giveaway.”

Leaning down to the microphone, Biden said, “Hey guys. I think it’s time to give ordinary people a tax break. The wealthy are doing fine. I mean it.”