President Biden's Infrastructure Plans

[lpetrich]

After Stimulus, Biden to Tackle Another Politically Tricky Issue: Infrastructure - The New York Times - "Strengthening the country’s highways, bridges and broadband networks has broad popular support, but Washington remains bitterly divided on the details."

President Biden’s two immediate predecessors had ambitious goals to rebuild the country’s infrastructure, but both left office having made little progress in fixing the nation’s bridges, roads, pipes and broadband. President Donald J. Trump announced so many meaningless infrastructure weeks that the term became a running joke of his administration.

Shows how un-diligent Trump was. He had no followup.

Unless the parties can agree on how to fund an infrastructure plan, Mr. Biden might have to try to push through another sprawling spending package with only Democratic votes. The task could prove exceptionally difficult given the competing pressures the president will face from centrists and progressives in his party — and the absence of a pandemic emergency to help fuse those factions in support of the bill.

...
Biden administration officials have not decided whether to push infrastructure as a stand-alone bill or as part of a broader package. But any hopes of bringing Democrats and Republicans together on a program are almost sure to be undermined by the same disagreements that have felled previous attempts.

...
The American Society of Civil Engineers has given the country’s overall infrastructure a grade of D+, estimating that a funding gap of more than $2 trillion exists between needs and expected spending by all levels of government over the next decade. And the pandemic has put a spotlight on the poor quality of digital infrastructure in many parts of the United States, as more people are forced to work and attend school remotely.

Mr. Biden campaigned on a sprawling infrastructure agenda, with trillions of dollars invested in transportation, water and sewer lines, and the scaffoldings of an energy sector that significantly reduces the United States’ carbon emissions, funded by tax increases on multinational companies and high earners.

The components of the plan poll well — which was not enough for Mr. Biden’s predecessors.

Obama failed because Republicans didn't want to give him a victory.

Trump failed because he is easily distracted.

 

[Derec]

Good idea in principle but Biden really should seek a bipartisan by-in on the bill.
Otherwise there is a danger that it will become an ideologically driven bill rather than one based on sound policy.

 

[lpetrich]

Business groups and many Republicans have expressed a willingness to work with the administration to pass $1 trillion or more in infrastructure spending. Areas of agreement with progressives include spending on highways, bridges, rural broadband networks, water and sewer lines and even some cornerstones of fighting climate change, like electric-car charging stations.

...
“I fear going small,” said William E. Spriggs, the chief economist at the A.F.L.-C.I.O., who has pushed the administration to spend aggressively to promote racial equity across the economy. “If you only do bridges and highways, they don’t generate the same number of residual jobs, and they don’t reach a broader set of workers and address fundamental inequalities.”

Biden Team Prepares $3 Trillion in New Spending for the Economy - The New York Times
"A pair of proposals would invest in infrastructure, education, work force development and fighting climate change, with the aim of making the economy more productive."

President Biden’s economic advisers are pulling together a sweeping $3 trillion package to boost the economy, reduce carbon emissions and narrow economic inequality, beginning with a giant infrastructure plan that may be financed in part through tax increases on corporations and the rich.

...
The $1.9 trillion economic aid package that Mr. Biden signed into law this month includes money to help vulnerable people and businesses survive the pandemic downturn. But it does little to advance the longer-term economic agenda that Mr. Biden campaigned on, including transitioning to renewable energy and improving America’s ability to compete in emerging industries, like electric vehicles. Administration officials essentially see those goals — building out the nation’s infrastructure and shifting to a low-carbon future — as inseparable.

...
Mr. Biden’s advisers plan to recommend that the effort be broken into pieces, with Congress tackling infrastructure before turning to a second package that would include more people-focused proposals, like free community college, universal prekindergarten and a national paid leave program.

...
That plan would spend heavily on clean energy deployment and the development of other “high-growth industries of the future” like 5G telecommunications. It includes money for rural broadband, advanced training for millions of workers, and one million affordable and energy-efficient housing units. Documents suggest it will include nearly $1 trillion in spending on the construction of roads, bridges, rail lines, ports, electric vehicle charging stations, and improvements to the electric grid and other parts of the power sector.

...
The second plan is focused on what many progressives call the nation’s human infrastructure — students, workers and people left on the sidelines of the job market — according to documents and people familiar with the discussions. It would spend heavily on education and programs meant to increase the participation of women in the labor force by helping them balance work and caregiving.

Republicans might be interested in the infrastructure part, but they don't like the idea of new taxes, especially taxes on their biggest donors.

 

[lpetrich]

Manchin calls for 'enormous' infrastructure package paid for with new taxes

Sen. Joe Manchin said Wednesday that he favors a large infrastructure package that would be paid for in part by raising tax revenues — a point of contention between the two parties.

"I'm sure of one thing: It’s going to be enormous," the West Virginia Democrat, who is seen as a swing vote in a chamber divided 50-50, told reporters at the Capitol.

...
The tax benefits in the Republican law were "weighted in one direction to the upper end," Manchin said. He also suggested an "infrastructure bank" paid for with revenues, potentially a value-added tax, that would be used for "rebuilding America."


,,,
Even Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, one of the most moderate Republicans, sounded skeptical about raising taxes after Biden said they would go up for people making above $400,000.

“I would not anticipate that it would be well received," Collins told reporters, adding that it was an understatement.

Sen. Mitch McConnell says that there is no "enthusiasm" for tax increases among Republicans.

"The Trojan horse will be called infrastructure. Inside the Trojan horse will be all the tax increases," McConnell said. "The only way I think they could pull that off would be through a reconciliation process."

 

[Patooka]

Good idea in principle but Biden really should seek a bipartisan by-in on the bill.
Otherwise there is a danger that it will become an ideologically driven bill rather than one based on sound policy.

For bipartisanship to work, both sides need to negotiate in good faith.

 

[TV and credit cards]

They need to do more than just repealing the 2017 Trump tax cuts. That’s just shoveling a little dirt back in a big hole. That’s not a source of funding. I’d like to see a tax on stock trades.

They need to get this done now while Pete Buttigieg is heading up DOT. Pete will make sure projects have an eye toward the future judging them on climate change, greenhouse gas emissions, encouraging a reduction in miles driven for POVs, benefit underserved communities, are in federally designated community development zones, or apply innovative technology. That’s what Pete Buttigieg will be looking for.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Obama was screwed in '09 by the economic crash, and instead of pushing new plans, he was stuck trying to get the nation out of the ditch, though there was ACA. Biden, even with the pandemic, is going all out. The Stimulus bill shouldn't have been a "big accomplishment", but the Republicans are effectively bad guys, so it ended up being an accomplishment to provide aid to most average Americans and small businesses.

Now he is tackling Infrastructure, something Trump mentioned several times, but never had even a inkling of a plan for it. Biden is OLD school, so he knows the clock is ticking on his first 12 months before re-election fever kicks up for the House and some in the Senate. So he is pushing and pushing hard. The Republicans must be absolutely frightened of this. If he gets an infrastructure bill passed, that'll be another boost to the economy. And assuming hyper-partisan and sociopaths don't fuck the pandemic all up, the economy should be pushing forward well by 2022, meaning it could be a very rare seat pickup for the Dems in the House, and the Senate could also be interesting.

 

[Shadowy Man]

Good idea in principle but Biden really should seek a bipartisan by-in on the bill.
Otherwise there is a danger that it will become an ideologically driven bill rather than one based on sound policy.

I’d be happily surprised if the Republicans could contribute to sound policy.

 

[Elixir]

Good idea in principle but Biden really should seek a bipartisan by-in on the bill.
Otherwise there is a danger that it will become an ideologically driven bill rather than one based on sound policy.

Seeking anything from the GQP is an exercise in futility.
Their party line is to obstruct, obstruct, obstruct, then play along asking for compromises until the clock runs out.
Fuck McConnell and all the self interested trumpsucking opportunists on the right side of the Senate aisle.
Schumer/Biden should get rid of the filibuster, give Americans what they want and let Republicans try to take it away from them in '22 and '24.
Of course you don't want that to happen because you're basically a conservative yourself, and letting Democrats succeed on behalf of Americans is a bad thing for conservatives.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Good idea in principle but Biden really should seek a bipartisan by-in on the bill.
Otherwise there is a danger that it will become an ideologically driven bill rather than one based on sound policy.

I’d be happily surprised if the Republicans could contribute to sound policy.

The GOP had the House/Senate/White House for 2 years and did nothing on infrastructure.

I'd love for this to be a bipartisan bill, but to be fairly honest, it is obvious the GOP doesn't give a fuck about the state of our nation, so I'm pretty much done with their existence. If they want a legit seat at the table, I have absolutely no doubt Biden would provide it. He served as senator along side most of their great grandfathers. Until then, fuck 'em. It is time to get things done! Trump passed a tax cut and that was it for him. Biden has 9 months left until the first year is over and the election clock resets, and he knows how all of this works.

 

[Elixir]

Biden has 9 months left until the first year is over and the election clock resets, and he knows how all of this works.

I think that's an overly generous time allowance. Republicans have already vacated any pretense to governance in favor of manipulating the 2022 midterm elects in their favor. In six months, the countdown will be well underway and Dems will have no choice but to focus on un-doing Republican efforts to destroy democracy.

 

[TV and credit cards]

Good idea in principle but Biden really should seek a bipartisan by-in on the bill.
Otherwise there is a danger that it will become an ideologically driven bill rather than one based on sound policy.

Seeking anything from the GQP is an exercise in futility.
Their party line is to obstruct, obstruct, obstruct, then play along asking for compromises until the clock runs out.
Fuck McConnell and all the self interested trumpsucking opportunists on the right side of the Senate aisle.
Schumer/Biden should get rid of the filibuster, give Americans what they want and let Republicans try to take it away from them in '22 and '24.
Of course you don't want that to happen because you're basically a conservative yourself, and letting Democrats succeed on behalf of Americans is a bad thing for conservatives.

Good idea in principle but Biden really should seek a bipartisan by-in on the bill.
Otherwise there is a danger that it will become an ideologically driven bill rather than one based on sound policy.

I’d be happily surprised if the Republicans could contribute to sound policy.

The GOP had the House/Senate/White House for 2 years and did nothing on infrastructure.

I'd love for this to be a bipartisan bill, but to be fairly honest, it is obvious the GOP doesn't give a fuck about the state of our nation, so I'm pretty much done with their existence. If they want a legit seat at the table, I have absolutely no doubt Biden would provide it. He served as senator along side most of their great grandfathers. Until then, fuck 'em. It is time to get things done! Trump passed a tax cut and that was it for him. Biden has 9 months left until the first year is over and the election clock resets, and he knows how all of this works.

Part of me is thinking the Dems should go all in. Mitch has pretty much proven himself to be a reprobate over the years while Joe clings to decorum. Mitch is warning that payback will be a bitch. Well, lets not let them have the chance. Pointing out that the Republicans had ample opportunity to push through an infrastructure plan is an easy one to hammer home with the American public. It dovetails so nicely with their nonexistant healthcare plan. If Uncle Joe can get infrastructure and voting rights, we'll be sitting pretty for 2022.

 

[ZiprHead]

Economists bullish on Biden's $3 trillion infrastructure plan

What we're hearing: "Stimulus helps build the bridge for the recovery to reach the other side, but an investment in infrastructure is the fuel to jump start the economic engine," Beth Ann Bovino, U.S. chief economist at S&P Global, says in an email.

S&P predicts Biden's infrastructure plan will create 2.3 million jobs by 2024, inject $5.7 trillion into the economy — which would be 10 times what was lost during the recession — and raise per-capita income by $2,400.

The big picture: "We have to have a big public works program," Lawrence Baxter, director of the Global Financial Markets Center at Duke, tells Axios.

Baxter compares Biden's proposed new programs to New Deal initiatives like the Blue Ridge Parkway that were created to battle unemployment following the Great Depression.

"They’re not daring to call it that because that would be a lightning rod," he adds.

 

[Derec]

For bipartisanship to work, both sides need to negotiate in good faith.

Of course. But I am sure at least some Republicans would be interested in working on a bipartisan infrastructure bill. I.e. one that is not designed to appeal to the Socialist Squad.

Unfortunately, the proposal is already off the rails and not about infrastructure any more.

Biden’s ‘Transformative’ Plan Redefines Infrastructure to Include Caregiving

In other words, it's a bill with some infrastructure but also a lot of lefty wish-list spending that has nothing to do with infrastructure. You can't expect a bipartisan buy-in with a dishonest bill like this one.

 

[Derec]

Fuck McConnell and all the self interested trumpsucking opportunists on the right side of the Senate aisle.

McConnell now has far less power to obstruct.
I am sure that if Biden were interested in a bipartisan bill there would be a number of GOP Reps and Senators willing to work with Biden on a bipartisan infrastructure bill. However, the proposal Biden is pushing is not only a very partisan one, it is also only partly about infrastructure.

Schumer/Biden should get rid of the filibuster, give Americans what they want and let Republicans try to take it away from them in '22 and '24.

Party in power usually overreaches and Biden administration is already going that way with this not-really-infrastructure plan.

Of course you don't want that to happen because you're basically a conservative yourself, and letting Democrats succeed on behalf of Americans is a bad thing for conservatives.

I am an independent. I voted for Biden. I voted for Obama twice. I could not stomach neither Hillary nor Trump in 2016.
I detest both extremes. Which is why I as hoping Biden would govern as a moderate and seek bipartisan buy-in. Instead, he seems much more interested in appeasing the Squad.

 

[Derec]

If they want a legit seat at the table, I have absolutely no doubt Biden would provide it.

Then why is his proposal so geared toward the left-wing of the Democratic Party right from the gate?

 

[Derec]

Economists bullish on Biden's $3 trillion infrastructure plan

I guess they have not read all the tofu^* that's in the bill. Or read about all the tax hikes to fund it with.






^* - vegan, "Squad"-friendly version of pork

 

[TV and credit cards]

For bipartisanship to work, both sides need to negotiate in good faith.

Of course. But I am sure at least some Republicans would be interested in working on a bipartisan infrastructure bill. I.e. one that is not designed to appeal to the Socialist Squad.

Unfortunately, the proposal is already off the rails and not about infrastructure any more.

Biden’s ‘Transformative’ Plan Redefines Infrastructure to Include Caregiving

In other words, it's a bill with some infrastructure but also a lot of lefty wish-list spending that has nothing to do with infrastructure. You can't expect a bipartisan buy-in with a dishonest bill like this one.

Economists bullish on Biden's $3 trillion infrastructure plan

I guess they have not read all the tofu^* that's in the bill. Or read about all the tax hikes to fund it with.






^* - vegan, "Squad"-friendly version of pork

It's not a long walk to consider eldercare as fundamental facilities that serve communities. These are basic needs for many. Vulnerable elders now are reliant on unsupervised visits by a person earning at or near minimum wage. Now, the devil is in the details. Hopefully this doesn't turn into a gravy train like the ACA's substance abuse mandates.
Is this the only tofu (pork) you are referring to? Because other than that, I see little meat on this bone.

And what "tax hikes" are you referring to? How long should a tax cut be in force for it's revocation to be considered a tax hike?

 

[southernhybrid]

This morning Biden made a public appearance asking Republicans to meet with him to discuss, criticize, and offer compromises in regards to his plans. How many think that more than a few Republicans will take him up on this? Biden isn't the one who doesn't want to work with the other side. It's the Republicans that will obstruct most anything he tries to do, even when the bill has wide spread support among the public.

 

[Treedbear]

This morning Biden made a public appearance asking Republicans to meet with him to discuss, criticize, and offer compromises in regards to his plans. How many think that more than a few Republicans will take him up on this? Biden isn't the one who doesn't want to work with the other side. It's the Republicans that will obstruct most anything he tries to do, even when the bill has wide spread support among the public.

McConnell put an end to any possibility of cooperation from the Republicans yesterday:
McConnell says Biden's infrastructure package won't get GOP support, will oppose it 'every step of the way'
So anyone who dares to reach across the aisle now will be branded as disloyal. The bill will have to be a compromise between Democrats. If it turns out to be handing money out to everyone who makes less than $400K guess who'll get the praise.