GOP pitches infrastructure counteroffer

Instead of raising corporate taxes to pay for a laundry list of public works upgrades, Republicans want to repurpose unspent COVID-19 relief funds. GOP senators proposed $928 billion in infrastructure spending on Thursday as an alternative to the $2 trillion plan President Joe Biden pitched in March. Democrats already have permission from the Senate parliamentarian to use a process called budget reconciliation to pass the bill with a simple majority vote, but Republicans hope to reach a compromise on the bill before that happens.

How are the plans different? In addition to different funding mechanisms and price tags, the GOP proposal defines infrastructure as more traditional investments in roads, bridges, ports, and drinking water systems. Biden wants to include funding for public schools, affordable housing, child care, electric vehicles, and more.

Dig deeper: Read Harvest Prude’s report in The Stew breaking down Biden’s infrastructure plan.