Senate Republicans are reportedly weighing "going bigger" on President Joe Biden's jobs and infrastructure plan as the White House works to shepherd the plan through Congress, according to Politico. How big? As high as $800 billion—more than $200 billion higher than their initial $568 billion counter-offer to Biden's $2.3 trillion American Jobs Plan.
But no matter how high (or low, as it were) Republicans go, they've always got a poison-pill deal killer at the ready. Take Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, for example, who told CNN Tuesday that $800 billion is the "absolute upper limit" on what Republicans might be willing to support. But even if the White House managed to squeeze some good stuff into an extremely pared down bill to attract GOP votes, we find out those votes won't materialize anyway.
"There will not be one Republican vote" for raising corporate taxes, Wicker also promised in a Politico interview. Wicker, one of the Senate GOP negotiators, is actually parroting Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has spent the last several weeks assuring everyone that not so much as a single Republican will ultimately support Biden's proposal.
This week, the White House is hosting a series of meetings on his proposals with both key Democrats and Republicans. On Monday, President Biden met with Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Tom Carper of Delaware. On Tuesday, he'll follow up with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. Biden is also scheduled to meet Wednesday with the "Big Four," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. On Thursday, Biden will be back at it with a group of GOP senators that includes Wicker, chief negotiator Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, and Sens. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, John Barrasso of Wyoming, Roy Blunt of Missouri, and Mike Crapo of Indiana.
But no matter what Republicans ultimately offer up, Democrats like Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts will be focused on who they plan to leave out in a moment that's ripe for big action.
“I want to know what Mitch McConnell plans to cut,” Sen. Warren told Politico. “This is not a moment to say ‘We’ll repair half our roads. We’ll provide child care for half the mothers who want to go back to work. We’ll provide broadband for half the country that still doesn’t have it.’ This is the time to say ‘We’re going to make an investment in all of us.’”
Right. So the real question is, whether and how long the White House will invest in trying to cut a deal with Republicans that would almost surely result in an attempt to pass two separate bills—one with GOP support and one without it. That question is particularly urgent when Senate Republicans are already trying to paint Biden as a bad actor after he put years of mostly fruitless efforts into trying to negotiate with them during Barack Obama's presidency.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you several people have told me that you’re just going to get burned in the end, [so] why are you sticking your neck out?” GOP Sen. Capito told the Washington Post. "Because it’s worth it,” she added.
In fact, in all likelihood, it's not only worth it, it's entirely necessary for Senate Republicans if they hope to have any chance of retaking the upper chamber next year. The fact that they are even at the negotiating table suggests that Biden's jobs/infrastructure plan was simply too popular to simply shoot down without at least pretending to lift a finger.
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