House Speaker Nancy Pelosi promised on Sunday that Congress will work fast on an infrastructure and jobs package that will be “fiscally sound,” but said she is unsure whether the project, the next major project in President Joe Biden’s agenda will attract Republican support.
Following a major legislative victory with the $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus aid package that was passed virtually along party lines, Democrats face tough future battles in gaining GOP backing for the government’s plans.
The laws for the construction of roads and bridges have a long history of bipartisan support, as legislators try to bring projects to the districts that voted for them. But Republicans do not agree with Biden’s environmental approach or the possibility of financing any programs with debt after the government went heavily into debt to address the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Building roads and bridges and water supply systems and everything else has always been bipartisan, except when they opposed it with a Democratic president, just like they did with President Obama, and we had to cut the package,” Pelosi stated. .
“But anyway, hopefully we will have bipartisanship,” he added.
Pelosi has instructed top Democratic lawmakers to begin working with Republicans on a “big, bold, and transformative infrastructure package.”
During his presidential campaign, Biden laid the groundwork by proposing $ 2 trillion “accelerated” investments to transition to cleaner energy, build half a million electric vehicle charging stations, support public transportation, and repair roads and bridges. . The plan emphasizes the importance of creating unionized jobs and addressing climate change.
The White House originally planned to present a plan in February, but has not recently committed to a deadline. Implementation may be delayed until April, as the government will embark on nationwide efforts in the coming weeks to persuade the public of the benefits of the COVID-19 assistance package.
Democratic Senator Tom Carper, chairman of the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works, and Democratic Representative Peter DeFazio, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, are hopeful that a proposal will pass in their panels in May.
The package could include policy changes – on green energy and immigration – and even try to make some of the newly approved COVID benefits, such as child tax breaks, permanent.
“It’s going to be green and it’s going to be big,” DeFazio told The Associated Press.
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