Do we have an infrastructure deal or not?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Last edited Thu Jun 10, 2021, 09:26 PM - Edit history (2)

Deal or no deal? Confusion rules Senate infrastructure talks

Senators painted a confusing picture on the status of infrastructure talks as they left D.C. for the weekend, with some claiming major progress and others skeptical a deal is in hand.

Late Thursday afternoon, the group released a statement trying to clear up the confusion. But it omitted the total cost of the deal and came only after significant internal discord among the members over how much information to reveal, sources close to the issue said.

“Our group – comprised of 10 Senators, 5 from each party – has worked in good faith and reached a bipartisan agreement on a realistic, compromise framework to modernize our nation’s infrastructure and energy technologies," the group led by Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) said in a statement. "This investment would be fully paid for and not include tax increases."

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), a member of a bipartisan negotiating group, said talks are “in the middle stages” but that he did not expect a deal before the Senate left Thursday. Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) said the centrists don’t have an agreement but “we might,” listing remaining and long-held disagreements over spending numbers and how to pay for it.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/deal-or-no-deal-confusion-rules-senate-infrastructure-talks/ar-AAKV1KJ

Ten Senate Democrats and Republicans say they reached five-year, nearly $1 trillion infrastructure deal

A bipartisan group of 10 Senate Democrats and Republicans reached a new deal on infrastructure on Thursday, agreeing to a nearly $1 trillion, five-year package to improve the country’s roads, bridges, pipes and Internet connections.

The new blueprint, described by four people familiar with the plan, marks a fresh attempt to resurrect negotiations between congressional lawmakers and the White House after an earlier round of talks between President Biden and the GOP fell apart this week. But it remains unclear if the early accord will prove to be enough to satisfy either the White House or a sufficient number of lawmakers on Capitol Hill at a time when disagreements between the parties are rife.

The new deal is the product of five Democrats and five Republicans — Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), and Mark R. Warner (D-Va.).

Their early agreement calls for about $974 billion in infrastructure spending over five years, which comes to about $1.2 trillion when extrapolated over eight years, according to the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the details had not yet been released formally. The package includes roughly $579 billion in new spending.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/06/10/senate-democrats-republicans-infrastructure/

New infrastructure deal faces Democratic resistance as liberals call for an end to bipartisan talks

Liberal Senate Democrats are unloading on a bipartisan group of senators working on an infrastructure deal, warning that the effort to win GOP backing could erode support on the left -- underscoring the stiff resistance the negotiators face in shepherding the proposal through a narrowly divided Congress.

Even before 10 senators from both parties announced a broad agreement Thursday on an eight-year, $1.2 trillion plan, a number of members of the Senate Democratic Caucus threatened to oppose it, putting the effort in peril before the group has finalized many of the details.

The criticism has grown louder by the day, underscoring the growing tension within the ranks as moderates urge their colleagues to show patience and as Democratic leaders struggle to find a deal that can pass the 50-50 Senate and please the various factions within their party.

"Let's face it. It's time to move forward," Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, told CNN on the talks with the bipartisan group. "The Republicans have held us up long enough."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/new-infrastructure-deal-faces-democratic-resistance-as-liberals-call-for-an-end-to-bipartisan-talks/ar-AAKV9XC

White House briefed on bipartisan infrastructure deal but says questions remain

White House officials were briefed Thursday on a $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal reached by a group of 10 bipartisan senators earlier in the day, but it remains unclear whether President Biden will support it.

"Earlier today, White House staff were briefed by Democratic Senators working on the bipartisan agreement on infrastructure," deputy White House press secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement.

"The President appreciates the Senators' work to advance critical investments we need to create good jobs, prepare for our clean energy future, and compete in the global economy," Bates added. "Questions need to be addressed, particularly around the details of both policy and pay-fors, among other matters."

White House staff and Cabinet officials leading infrastructure efforts will work with the senators who are part of the group of 10 in the coming days to address the president's questions and discuss a path forward. Biden, who is in Europe through Wednesday, is expected to engage as time allows with lawmakers involved in negotiations.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/white-house-briefed-on-bipartisan-infrastructure-deal-but-says-questions-remain/ar-AAKVnmW

Here's what we know about the bipartisan infrastructure deal

A bipartisan group of 10 senators announced Thursday they have reached a deal on a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package, the most significant development yet in negotiations over a key priority of the Biden administration, but it still faces serious obstacles from skeptics in both parties.

"Our group -- comprised of 10 Senators, 5 from each party -- has worked in good faith and reached a bipartisan agreement on a realistic, compromise framework to modernize our nation's infrastructure and energy technologies. This investment would be fully paid for and not include tax increases," the senators said in a joint statement.

Here's what we know so far:

What's in the deal?
While the group didn't publicly reveal specifics of the agreement, several sources tell CNN they crafted a package that includes:

$1.2 trillion of spending over eight years

$974 billion spent over the first five years

The plan calls for $579 billion dollars of new spending.

-more-

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/here-s-what-we-know-about-the-bipartisan-infrastructure-deal/ar-AAKVnky

[elleng]

1. Blueprint, requires more.

[msongs]

2. Every day that Republicans can get the Democrats to not do something, that is a win for Republicans.

[walkingman]

3. This is simply a ploy by the GOP to say that the Dems are not willing to pass

anything bi-partisian. The moderate Dems are falling for the never ending deceit by the Rethugs. It is all phony. They played Obama the same way - negotiate something and then not vote for it.

Never underestimate nasty white people.