A top Senate Republican said Sunday that a smaller infrastructure package focusing on physical needs such as roads and bridges would quickly pass the upper chamber and represent an “easy win” for the Biden administration.
In an interview with host Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday,” Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) called on the White House to drop parts of the package that he said did not relate specifically to rebuilding U.S. infrastructure, likely referring to the aspects of the proposal dealing with climate change and the push to move the U.S. energy grid toward renewable sources.
“I think there’s an easy win for the White House,” Blunt said.
“Obviously, Democrats have figured out that infrastructure is something we need, something that’s popular” and are pushing pet projects into a larger bill, the senator argued.
He added that a bill focusing on roughly 30 percent of the Biden administration’s proposal — which he said amounted to “about 16 or so billion dollars” — would “have huge economic impact” in terms of spurring job growth.
The senator’s comments come in response to the White House beginning outreach efforts on an infrastructure proposal unveiled by President Biden last week during a speech in Pittsburgh.
Administration officials have indicated that they intend to seek Republican support for the Biden administration’s second big legislative push since taking office in January.
But Senate Democrats have left the door open to seeking the bill’s passage through the reconciliation process, a parliamentary procedure that would allow it to head to Biden’s desk for signature with the votes of just 50 senators, thereby bypassing Republicans should Democrats remain unified.