Biden Stops Infrastructure Talks With GOP; Barrasso Fires Back

U.S. Sen. John Barrasso was none too pleased this week when President Joe Biden ended negotiations with a group of Republican senators regarding a proposed infrastructure bill.

EF
Ellen Fike

June 09, 20212 min read

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U.S. Sen. John Barrasso was none too pleased this week when President Joe Biden ended negotiations with a group of Republican senators regarding a proposed infrastructure bill.

Biden ended negotiations with the senators, including Barrasso, on Tuesday following weeks of discussion without any forward movement.

“The president has made it clear that he has no intention of agreeing to a plan that addresses core, physical infrastructure,” Barrasso said. “President Biden and his team are trying to satisfy an insatiable far-left agenda that demands massive tax hikes and spending trillions of dollars on things unrelated to physical infrastructure.”

Biden proposed a $2 trillion infrastructure bill earlier this year, but many Republicans, including Barrasso, have been outspoken in their opposition to it because of a perceived lack of focus on “traditional” infrastructure such as roads, bridges and waterways.

However, Barrasso was criticized by ABC News host Martha Raddatz for some unchecked claims he made about the bill.

“The 6% for roads and bridges figures you and other GOP leaders have cited has been fact-checked multiple times,” she told Barrasso during an appearance in May. “The total amount for what you have called traditional infrastructure, roads, bridges, waterways, public transit is more than 25% of the Biden plan. So, do you want more?”

The total proposed $2 trillion package focuses on job creation, traditional infrastructure spending and investment in certain areas such as funding for care workers and for childcare to be offered at workplaces.

“In return for our multiple, significant offers to invest in our roads, bridges, ports, airports and waterways, the president continues to seek a massive tax and spend plan,” Barrasso said. “Republicans are serious about passing a responsible, targeted infrastructure plan that truly meets the needs of America, without adding the burdens of higher taxes, more federal debt, and job-killing regulations.”

He added that he and his fellow senators were ready to work with congressional Democrats who recognized that a bipartisan agreement on physical infrastructure was possible.

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Ellen Fike

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