Biden Says He’s Open To ‘Compromise’ With Republicans On Infrastructure Plan

President Joe Biden met with a bipartisan group of lawmakers to discuss his $2 trillion infrastructure bill, The American Jobs Plan, on Monday evening and told reporters that he is “open to compromise” with Republicans.

The $2.25 trillion plan will be executed in four parts over eight years, dedicating billions of  dollars to initiatives from health care to the environment. The largest sum is $650 billion dedicated to widening Americans’ access to clean water and cheap broadband Internet. Another $620 billion is set aside for transportation, more than doubling past investments into public transit. $174 billion will be directed to electric vehicle initiatives.

$580 billion will be dedicated to strengthening United States manufacturing and then several other parcels are put aside for specific industries like $50 for semiconductor manufacturing and another $40 billion to increase domestic research. As for raw infrastructure, a record $20 billion is being set aside for new highways and roads to “reconnect,” according to Biden, neighborhoods that have been cut off from industry.

Biden made an impassioned speech Wednesday warning that “inaction simply is not an option,” in regard to his infrastructure plan. “Two hundred years ago, trains weren’t traditional infrastructure either, until America made a choice to lay down tracks across the country,” he said. “Highways weren’t traditional infrastructure until we allowed ourselves to imagine that roads could connect our nation across state lines. Partisan divisions should not stop America doing the right thing for the future. These aren’t Republican bridges, Democratic airports, Republican hospitals or a Democratic power grid … We’re at an inflection point in American democracy. This is a moment where we prove whether or not democracy can deliver.”

Article by Brandon Mumei