President Joe Biden is hoping to get the bipartisan infrastructure deal on track by highlighting its expected economic benefits, stressing its $973 billion would include the largest investment in transportation in nearly a century and millions of jobs would be created.
White House officials issued an internal memo highlighting the impact on jobs and growth ahead of Biden leaving Tuesday for Wisconsin to make his case directly to voters. The memo, obtained by The Associated Press, notes that the total is four times the size of the infrastructure investment made a dozen years ago in response to the Great Recession and the biggest infrastructure package since Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal.
It also emphasizes an analysis suggesting that 90% of the jobs generated by the spending could go to workers without college degrees, a key shift as a majority of net job gains before the pandemic went to college graduates.
“This is a blue-collar blueprint to rebuild America,” the memo says.
Potential economic gains were a shared incentive for the group of Democratic and Republican senators who agreed to the deal on Thursday. But the process briefly fell into disarray as Biden suggested the deal would be held up until he also received a separate package for infrastructure, jobs and education that would be determined solely by Democrats through the budget reconciliation process.
Biden said Saturday that this was not a veto threat and by Monday the package appeared back on track.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that Biden is “eager” for both bills to be approved by Congress and is going to “work his heart out” to make it happen.
“The president intends to sign both pieces of legislation into law,” Psaki said at her daily briefing.
Approval of both bills by Congress remains a long haul with this summer's initial votes expected in July. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell questioned the legislative process ahead and mounted fresh obstacles speaking Monday in Kentucky.
McConnell said he has not yet decided if he will support the bipartisan package, but he wants Biden to pressure House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer to say they will allow the bipartisan arrangement to pass without mandating that the much larger and broader follow-up bill be in place.
“I appreciate the president saying that he’s willing to deal with infrastructure separately, But he doesn’t control the Congress,” McConnell said at a press conference in Louisville.
The two bills had always been expected to move in tandem, and that is likely to continue as Biden drops his veto threat but reaches across the aisle for the nearly $1 trillion bipartisan package and as well as his own broader package. The Democratic leaders are pressing ahead on the broader bill, which includes Biden's families and climate change proposals as well as their own investments in Medicare, swelling to some $6 trillion.
The Democratic leaders did not immediately respond to McConnell's remarks.
The prospect of additional economic gains might be a way to garner public support and soothe partisan tensions. Biden also faces pressure from Democrats such as New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who told NBC's “Meet the Press” that the spending isn't as huge as it might seem because the sums are spread out over multiple years.
The eight-page White House memo comes from Brian Deese, director of the National Economic Council, and senior adviser Anita Dunn. It indicates that the $110 billion for roads and bridges would help relieve traffic and congestion that costs the economy over $160 billion annually. The memo justifies the $48.5 billion planned for public transit by citing studies that link light rail and buses to increased earnings and employment for workers. It defends the $66 billion for repairs and upgrades for rail lines by saying that current delays and disruptions weigh on growth.
The bipartisan agreement also would help nurture the market for electric vehicles, improve broadband access, repair water lines and create resilience against damage from extreme weather events.
Associated Press writer Lisa Mascaro in Washington and Bruce Schreiner in Louisville, Ky. contributed to this report.
People of African and Middle Eastern descent fleeing from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are facing the double trauma of racism at the borders. Professor of law and migration studies at the University of San Francisco, Bill Hing, joined Cheddar News Wrap to discuss what some are describing as a double standard for other refugees escaping the war. "Those that are from the Middle East and from Africa who just happen to be in Ukraine, for example on a student visa, they are not going to be able to get into Poland or another area of the Schengen area because they are not natural Ukrainian," he said.
Add FIFA to the list of organizations announcing a break with Russia. The world soccer authority has suspended the nation from competing in the 2022 World Cup tournament, while the NHL also announced suspending business relations with Russia. Executive editor and senior writer at Sports Illustrated, Jon Wertheim, joined Cheddar News to discuss the rebukes. "I think a big element of this is, this is a way to really hit at Putin because we know how much this appearance of strength and the victory… often portrayed through sports, how much that means to him," he said. "This will bother him in a way that it might not bother other world leaders."
Prices at the pump have escalated severely during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Paul Christopher, head of global market strategy, Wells Fargo Investment Institute, joined Cheddar News to explain how he sees the gas prices continuing to spiral despite the International Energy Agency announcing the release of 60 million barrels of oil from the strategic reserves of 31 countries. "We think you could see oil and gas prices continue to rise. Oil prices maybe could hit $140 a barrel. That's possible. And that would add another 50-60 cents on top of the gasoline prices you already have," he said.
President Joe Biden is set to give his first State of the Union address amid both international and domestic crises: the Russia-Ukraine conflict and continued rising inflation and economic worries at home. He's expected to focus on a four-point plan to reduce everyday costs, and promote economic competition, among other key tenets. But will it be enough to persuade Americans that his administration will be able to get rising prices and foreign policy moves under control? Eugene Scott, national politics reporter at The Washington Post, joins Closing Bell to discuss Biden's expected focus, how he will aim to ease Americans' concerns, and more.
Dr. Daniel Bober, psychiatrist and certified addiction medicine physician, joins Cheddar News to offer tips on how parents and guardians can talk to their children about what's happening in Ukraine.
While crypto exchanges have been used to aid Ukraine amid the Russian invasion, critics point to possible sanction evasion on the Russian side using the same technology. Cheddar's Alex Vuocolo takes a closer look.
Airbnb.org has announced that it will provide up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees with free housing. Airbnb.org is the philanthropic branch of Airbnb that provides free housing for those affected by disasters. Joe Gebbia, co-founder and chairman of Airbnb.org, joined Cheddar News to talk about how the company has helped thousands find shelter in times of crisis. "A lot of people are saying this conflict is likely to be the largest humanitarian crisis since World War II, and I believe Airbnb believes that companies have a responsibility to step up and to help out in times like these," he said.
The International Energy Agency’s 31 member countries have agreed to release 60 million barrels of oil from their strategic reserves “to send a strong message to oil markets” that supplies won’t fall short after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Every ten years, there’s a census. That decennial count is long and tedious and arduous…and important. Because it confirms who lives where so the Federal Government properly allocates resources, so services go to the places that need them most and - yes - so states gain or lose seats in congress and have the opportunity to redraw all their state and Congressional lines.
That means, every 10 years, states start what has famously been one of the most partisan and divisive processes in politics. Because one strategic line can mean the difference in party control in not just the state legislatures but also in congress.
Cheddar explains how gerrymandering works and why it exists.
