White House press secretary Jen Psaki indicated Sunday that the Biden administration would pursue two pieces of legislation as part of its push to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure.
Psaki was questioned by host Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday” about whether infrastructure reform would be handled in one or two bills introduced by congressional Democrats.
“Two separate proposals, and we’ll work with the Senate and House to see how it should move forward,” she answered.
The first proposal will likely address physical infrastructure such as roads, bridges and efforts to expand rural broadband access, according to the press secretary, while a separate bill unveiled in April will cover issues such as child care and health care.
News that the push will be split into two pieces of legislation comes just days after a source close to the White House revealed to The Hill that the price tag for Democrats’ next legislative push would be $3 trillion and that it would be a wide-ranging effort aimed at funding a host of domestic programs such as community college tuition, health care subsidies, pre-K programs and more.
Democrats have discussed a range of ways to fund the expansive legislation, including increasing the corporate tax rate as well as higher taxes on the wealthiest Americans.
“President Biden and his team are considering a range of potential options for how to invest in working families and reform our tax code so it rewards work, not wealth,” Psaki said of the planned legislation early last week. “Those conversations are ongoing, so any speculation about future economic proposals is premature and not a reflection of the White House’s thinking.”