Workers construct a bridge for the Interstate 75 project in Troy, Michigan, in April 2020 (Source Photo Credit: AP)
After the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a $1.9 trillion Epidemic aid bill, the Biden administration is still seeking a massive spending bill to supply the need for funding for U.S. roads, bridges and other infrastructure areas after pushing the related bill.
On Sunday, Feb. 28, U.S. media reported that Biden and his team have begun discussions with members of Congress on an outline of the possibilities for an infrastructure package, which officials said follows major energy and water shortages in Texas, providing an opportunity for a sustained infrastructure spending deal.
“The infrastructure can’t withstand these extreme weather conditions,” said Sherwood-Randall, a homeland security aide to Biden, “and we know that we can’t just react to extreme weather events. We need to plan and prepare for them.”
Industry expects the Biden Administration to continue to push the priority platform demanded by the left-wing progressive wing of his party. During his presidential candidacy, Biden called for spending $2 trillion over four years to invest in clean energy infrastructure and promote electric vehicles and high-speed rail, but the White House has not ruled out a higher spending price tag.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Feb. 25 that the size of spending on the next round of bills has not been determined so far, and she hinted that the amount of spending could be higher than expected because of the many entries.
“Biden has been a longtime supporter of investing in infrastructure, and the Time to act is late,” “but he also wants to do more on health care, help our manufacturing sector, do more to increase access to affordable health care “, she said.
Biden met with 10 senior leaders of the AFL-CIO and other unions at the White House on Feb. 17, and The Washington Post reported that union leaders asked Biden to approve up to $4 trillion in infrastructure spending, citing the American Society of Civil Engineers’ estimate of need as that amount.
Congressional Republicans protest that several current spending bills are creating sizable deficits and that the new package would add even more burdens. According to recent data from the Treasury Department, the U.S. budget deficit reached a record $736 billion between October of last year and January of this year, an 89 percent increase compared to the same period last year. For its part, the U.S. industry expects that the $1.9 trillion epidemic spending bill entering the congressional process will continue to add trillions to the budget deficit.
With more opposition to the spending bill expected, some Democrats have urged bypassing the divided congressional Republicans to address broader priorities urged by interest groups.
The Associated Press notes that the White House may propose a new massive spending package in March.
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