White House advisers huddle with Senate moderates on infrastructure
By Alexander Bolton - 06/22/21 01:39 PM EDT
Top White House officials, including senior adviser Steve Ricchetti and National Economic Council Director Brian Deese, met with a group of Senate moderates Tuesday afternoon in hopes of making more progress on a bipartisan infrastructure package.
Republican and Democratic senators were tight-lipped leaving a meeting earlier in the day in Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s (D-Ariz.) Hart Building office, and significant differences remain between the lawmakers and the White House on how to pay for a proposed five-year $974 billion package.
Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) said shortly before a noontime vote that there are still several areas that need to be ironed out before reaching a deal, but he expressed optimism.
“All positive, all bumpy,” he said after emerging from the first meeting with White House staff.
“We’re still going to continue,” he added.
A Republican lawmaker in the room said White House officials expressed the kind of objections one “would expect” to some of the proposed pay-fors but said the negotiators would continue to talk.
“The meeting goes on, we’re not done yet,” the GOP senator added.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/559622-white-house-advisers-huddle-with-senate-moderates-on-infrastructure
