Biden Open to Good Faith Negotiations Over Infrastructure Plans

• Neville Gabby
• 0 comment
• April 10, 2021

Republicans are expected to oppose the 28% corporate tax hike to augment federal funds for Pres. Biden’s proposed $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan. That being the case, the President announced that he is willing to discuss and negotiate with Republicans and Democratic senators alike; but he will not allow inaction to hamper his push for major economic developments.

A week earlier, Pres. Biden presented details of the $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan, which include pumping more than $620 billion into transportation projects specifically for rebuilding 20,000 public roads and reinforcement of 10,000 existing bridges. An estimated $111 billion will be spent to improve water infrastructure by replacing lead pipes that contaminate drinking water, while $100 billion will be used for broadband infrastructure projects.

According to the Treasury Department the proposed 28% corporate tax hike aims to raise $2.5 trillion within a period of 15 years. Still, President Biden says he is wide open to negotiations for a lower tax hike but insisted that the government will need funds to pay for the projects. However, he made it clear that he is open to good faith negotiations, as well as to hear good ideas from lawmakers he plans to meet with in the weeks ahead.

What Republican Lawmakers are Opposing?

Most Republican lawmakers are voicing opposition against spending on incentives to encourage Americans to shift to electric vehicles. Affordable health care for all is another issue that Republicans will vote against, whilst questioning its relevance to infrastructure plans.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky who spoke last Monday said outright that President Biden’s plan is “something we are not going to do.” Actually and traditionally, any Democratic plan is something that Republicans are always opposed to without any logical reason.

The former majority senate leader who had blocked nearly all Democratic proposals during the Trump administration said the GOP will not support a plan that relies on corporate tax hikes. That is considering that President Biden’s proposed 28% corporate rate is still lower than the 35% corporate tax rate that Republicans had cut down to 21% during the Trump administration.

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, albeit a Democrat, told a local news station that he will not vote for the boosting of corporate rate to 28%. Nonetheless, Manchin said he is in favor of closing existing tax loopholes that enable the wealthy to reduce their income tax payments. Additionally, Manchin said that he would consider supporting a corporate tax hike of 25%.