Democratic, GOP House Members Propose New Infrastructure Plan

(Bloomberg) -- A group of Democratic and Republican U.S. House members who are trying to keep alive the hope of a bipartisan infrastructure package said late Tuesday they had agreed to $761.8 billion in new spending over eight years.

Together with $487.2 billion in already likely spending, the total would come to $1.2 trillion, according to a House aide. President Joe Biden has put forth a $1.7 trillion package.

The plan by the Problem Solvers Caucus emerged hours after Biden ended talks with Senator Shelley Moore Capito, a West Virginia Republican, after they failed to reach agreement on an infrastructure proposal or how to pay for it.

The Republican and Democratic co-chairs of the Problem Solvers, made up of 58 centrist House members, had spoken on Tuesday to White House National Economic Council Director Brian Deese about their efforts.

One of the co-chairs, Josh Gottheimer, a New Jersey Democrat, is also working closely with Senators Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, and Kyrsten Sinema. Representative Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania is the Republican co-chair of the Problem Solvers.

The draft proposal by the Problem Solvers, according to the House aide, would designate $959 billion over eight years to transportation, including $518 billion for highways, roads and safety; $64 billion for bridge investment; $155 billion for transit, $25 billion for electric vehicle infrastructure; $120 billion for Amtrak passenger rail; $41 billion for airports; and $25 billion for waterways and ports.

Earlier: Biden, GOP’s Capito End Infrastructure Talks Without a Deal

Some $90 billion would go to “asset neutral” investments, such as multimodel large investments including freight.

And $200 billion would be steered to energy, water, telecom and veterans housing, including $45 billion for broadband, $25 billion for electric grid and other green energy, and $14 billion for water storage in the West, added the aide, who was granted anonymity to discuss the plan.

A White House official said Biden and Capito had called off their talks after the Republican and her allies refused to agree to higher new spending in the plan or detail ways to finance it. Republicans have rejected Biden’s proposal to raise taxes on corporations and high-income Americans.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement earlier Tuesday that Biden, who is leaving for a trip to Europe on Wednesday morning, would turn his attention to a bipartisan group of senators working on a separate infrastructure plan.

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