Joe Biden has many roads to an infrastructure deal - The Washington Post

President Biden and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) were light-years apart in their infrastructure negotiations. Biden wants $1.7 trillion in spending, paid for by raising corporate taxes. Capito had put only $257 billion in new spending on the table with no specified funding mechanism. Unsurprisingly, the two broke off talks on Tuesday. “While I appreciate President Biden’s willingness to devote so much time and effort to these negotiations, he ultimately chose not to accept the very robust and targeted infrastructure package, and instead, end our discussions,” Capito said in a statement.

At the daily news briefing on Tuesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki made clear the president was not solely relying on the potential for a deal with Capito. “We’re right in the middle of the sausage-making right now,” Psaki said. “This train is moving on several tracks.” She stressed that the process of moving forward with a Democratic bill (as Democrats did via reconciliation on the American Rescue Plan) is getting underway.

Biden therefore now turns to another group of lawmakers who might put more on the table. That group reportedly includes Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.).

What’s going on here? The administration has been emphatic and consistent: Biden would like to reach a deal with Republicans even if it means trimming his plan. (It has already been cut by $500 billion.) He would not have spent hours upon hours exploring a deal if he did not have hope that some bipartisan agreement was possible. But he is not going to abandon his goal of a major investment in infrastructure. If there are no Republicans willing to put serious money on the table, I have no doubt he will proceed with reconciliation that would deliver on a robust bill.

Even if there are not 10 Republicans, Biden may well make modifications to gain some Republican support on a bill proceeding through reconciliation. (Many reconciliation efforts are bipartisan.) That makes for interesting possibilities, such as one reportedly offered by Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.):

It is easy to get caught up in the notion that Manchin is driving the train and acting as the sole impediment to Biden’s agenda. It seems the White House does not see it that way. The process of negotiating and perhaps attracting some Republican support may be sufficient to get Manchin on board. Manchin has spoken optimistically about an infrastructure deal, so it would be incumbent on him to help broker a bipartisan agreement (whether to deliver 10 Republicans or some lesser number). One might conclude that negotiations with Capito have all been political theater to impress Manchin. While that certainly was not the intent going in, that may well be the result.

The blowup this week between progressive groups and Manchin on voting rights might, in an odd way, help Biden on infrastructure. Manchin does not want to be seen as blocking every major presidential initiative. It is one thing to block a dramatic, far-reaching overhaul of elections, ethics and campaign finance; it is quite another to be the reason infrastructure — as popular in West Virginia as anywhere else — fails.

Meanwhile, by a 68-32 margin the Senate passed the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act. The investment of roughly $250 billion in research and development contains elements that once were part of the American Jobs Plan. Biden will take the win, no matter what the vehicle. In a written statement, he crowed, “It will empower us to discover, build, and enhance tomorrow’s most vital technologies — from artificial intelligence, to computer chips, to the lithium batteries used in smart devices and electric vehicles — right here in the United States. By strengthening our innovation infrastructure, we can lay the foundation for the next generation of American jobs and American leadership in manufacturing and technology.”

In the end, Biden and his team may view the Capito negotiations as productive even if they failed to reach a deal. The White House holds out hope for enlisting some GOP support or, at the very least, demonstrating to Manchin that Republicans are uninterested in any substantial bill. The White House will strike a deal with Manchin if necessary to proceed with reconciliation on some version of the American Jobs Plan. Neither Manchin nor the White House wants to see a bill with thousands of blue-collar jobs on the line flop.

Jennifer Rubin is getting her own weekly live chat, where she’ll answer questions and respond to comments from readers on the news of the week every Friday at noon. Submit yours to her first chat, launching on June 11, here.

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Joe Biden has many roads to an infrastructure deal - The Washington Post
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