Cedric Richmond, a senior adviser to President Biden, said the administration’s counterproposal on infrastructure illustrates a “willingness to negotiate in good faith.”
When asked by host Dana Bash on CNN’s “State of the Union” if Biden is willing to “narrow his plans and his scope even further” to land a bipartisan deal on infrastructure, Richmond highlighted the administration’s counterproposal, which decreased their initial plan by $550 billion.
“The president coming down $550 billion off of his initial proposal I think shows the willingness to negotiate in good faith and in a serious manner. And the real question is whether the Republicans will meet the effort that the president is showing,” Richmond said.
The White House on Friday presented a $1.7 trillion infrastructure counterproposal to Republicans, a shift from the administration’s initial $2.25 trillion package.
The administration offered to reduce funding for broadband expansion to $65 billion to match a Republican offer spearheaded by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.).
The new package also reduced proposed investments in roads, bridges and other major infrastructure projects from $159 billion to $120 billion. That amount, however, is still above the $48 billion originally proposed by Republicans.
Republicans have also expressed opposition to what the administration has dubbed “human infrastructure,” which includes investments in areas like child and elderly care.
When pressed by Bash on if Biden is willing to compromise on other aspects of the bill, Richmond refused to make any concessions.
“The president is very clear, and many of the business leaders around the country are clear, that the country has to compete for the future, and electric vehicles are important to the president so it’s in there and he did not come down on that. And the human investment is important to the president,” Richmond said.
“And so the red lines that the president has dictated, he will not raise taxes on people who make less than $400,000 a year, he will not let inaction be the final answer and he’s going to continue to invest in the American people in the infrastructure so that we can win tomorrow,” Richmond added.