Republicans unveil $568 billion infrastructure plan
By Alexander Bolton - 04/22/21 12:19 PM EDT A group of Senate Republicans led by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) on Thursday unveiled a $568 billion infrastructure proposal, a much smaller counteroffer to President Biden’s $2.3 trillion American Jobs Plan.
Republicans sent the offer to Biden shortly before noon Thursday.
The proposal seeks to define infrastructure more narrowly compared to Biden’s expansive view of the issue, focusing on roads and bridges, public transit systems, rail, wastewater infrastructure, airports and broadband infrastructure.
Senate Republicans are proposing user fees for electric vehicles and repurposing unused federal spending allocated by the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Congress passed in March to cover the cost of the plan.
The total cost of the plan is at the low end of the $600 billion to $800 billion ballpark Capito proposed to reporters last week.
"This is something that Congress has done for many, many years together on a bipartisan basis. Our focus today is to say what our concepts are as Republicans [about] what infrastructure means, what our principles are in terms of pay-fors and to say to President Biden and his team and our Democrat colleagues: 'We're ready to sit down and get to work on this,' " Capito said.
more
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/549736-republicans-unveil-568-billion-infrastructure-plan
