Simon Ateba is Chief White House Correspondent for Today News Africa. Simon covers the U.S. government, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other financial and international institutions in Washington D.C. He can be reached on [email protected]
U.S. President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Tuesday said the infrastructure offer by Senate Republicans falls short of what the country needs at the moment, and he has rejected it.
In a statement, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said President Biden informed Senator Shelley Capito on Tuesday that “the latest offer from her group did not, in his view, meet the essential needs of our country to restore our roads and bridges, prepare us for our clean energy future, and create jobs.”
“He offered his gratitude to her for her efforts and good faith conversations, but expressed his disappointment that, while he was willing to reduce his plan by more than $1 trillion, the Republican group had increased their proposed new investments by only $150 billion,” Psaki said.
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She said the President also spoke with Senators Sinema, Cassidy, and Manchin on Tuesday and urged them “to continue their work with other Democrats and Republicans to develop a bipartisan proposal that he hopes will be more responsive to the country’s pressing infrastructure needs.”
Psaki wrote: “The President said that he would be in contact with members of the group by phone while in Europe, and he designated his Jobs Cabinet and White House aides Steve Ricchetti, Louisa Terrell, and Brian Deese to meet with them in person to advance this effort.
“From Day One, the President has been clear that he has two red lines: he will not raise taxes on Americans who make under $400,000 and he will not accept inaction as the outcome. To ensure that the American Jobs Plan moves forward on a timely basis, the President spoke with Speaker Pelosi to consult with her on efforts to move forward on an infrastructure/jobs package in the House this month.
“In the same regard, the President also spoke with Senate Majority Leader Schumer to discuss the need to commence work on the budget resolution process so that legislation to advance the President’s economic priorities and tax reform plans could move to the Senate floor in July. The President is committed to moving his economic legislation through Congress this summer, and is pursuing multiple paths to get this done.”
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