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A bipartisan group of Senators say they've reached an agreement with the White House on the framework of a $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan. 

After weeks of arduous negotiations President Biden will meet with the group of 21 senators, Republicans and Democrats, in the White House on Thursday.

The group will discuss the infrastructure bill, whose total cost will amount to $1.2 trillion over eight years, and has been a top legislative priority for the president. 

The plan is set to rebuild roads, bridges and other traditional infrastructure. 

The pared-down plan, with $559 billion in new spending, has rare bipartisan backing and could open the door to the president's more sweeping $4 trillion proposals, the Associated Press reported. 

'We've agreed on a framework and we're headed to the White House tomorrow,' Senator Mitt Romney (pictured)  told reporters while departing the Capitol

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin (pictured) of West Virginia also confirmed on Wednesday there was a breakthrough

The group of senators have struggled over how to pay for the new spending and the framework dipped by $20 billion after a shift in funds for broadband internet, according to details from a person familiar with the proposal who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity to discuss the negotiations.

Biden turned to a small group of about half a dozen Republicans and Democrats, hoping that they could find a way to reach a compromise, that would see his plan receive a similar amount of cash.

The group comprised of Republicans including Mitt Romney of Utah, Rob Portman of Ohio, Susan Collins of Maine, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska

On the Democrat side, those involved included Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Mark Warner of Virginia, and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, plus Jon Tester of Montana.

The group has been discussing a plan that would spend up to $900 billion over five years, according to people familiar with the talks. 

On Wednesday several senators said they reached a breakthrough.  

'We've agreed on a framework and we're headed to the White House tomorrow,' Senator Romney told reporters while departing the Capitol, USA Today reported. 

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia also confirmed on Wednesday there was a breakthrough, CNN reported. 

'Everyone in that room agreed on the framework,' Manchin said. 

After weeks of arduous negotiations President Biden will meet with the group of 21 senators, Republicans and Democrats, in the White House on Thursday

The White House and Democratic leaders cast the bipartisan proposal as a positive development and Biden's top aides had met with senators for back-to-back meetings on Capitol Hill and later huddled with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, AP reported. 

'We're very excited about the prospect of a bipartisan agreement,' Pelosi said Wednesday night.

The president's press secretary, Jen Psaki, said Biden had called for the meeting at the White House and that the group had made progress 'towards an outline of a potential agreement.'

The White House has been on a two-track strategy when it comes to infrastructure.

The first track involves White House staff negotiating with Republicans on a deal involving traditional infrastructure items. A 'human' infrastructure package would come separately.

The second track would see infrastructure pass through reconciliation - and therefore without any GOP support. It would include traditional items and the 'human' infrastructure items that Republicans object to but liberal Democrats are demanding.

Biden has sought $1.7 trillion in his American Jobs Plan, part of nearly $4 trillion in broad infrastructure spending on roads, bridges and broadband internet but also the so-called care economy of child care centers, hospitals and elder care, AP reported. 

Republicans have been opposed to Biden's proposed corporate tax rate increase from 21 percent to 28 percent and have looked at other ways to raise revenue.

But Biden has rejected their idea to allow gas taxes paid at the pump to rise with inflation, viewing it as a financial burden on American drivers.

Psaki said the senior staff to the president had two productive meetings with the bipartisan group at the Capitol.

The White House said Pelosi and Schumer and the top administration aides agreed on Biden's goal of infrastructure investments without raising taxes on anyone who makes under $400,000.

Schumer said the leaders 'support the concepts' they have heard from the bipartisan negotiations.  

The Democratic leaders also insisted on the two-part process ahead, starting with initial votes in July to consider the bipartisan deal and to launch the lengthy procedure for the Democrats' proposal, now drafted at nearly $6 trillion.

The Democrats' bigger proposal would run through the budget reconciliation process, which would allow passage of Biden's priorities by majority vote, without the need for support from Republicans to overcome the Senate's 60-vote threshold. It would require multiple rounds of voting that are likely to extend into fall.

'One can't be done without the other,' Schumer said.

Liberal Democrats have been wary of the bipartisan effort because they see it as insufficient and worry it will take the place of Biden's bigger plan. Republicans are also skeptical of passing a bipartisan bill only to be faced with an even bigger Democratic plan.

'We got our framework. We're going to the White House,'  Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia told reporters. 'We wouldn't be going to the White House if we didn't think it has broad-based support.'

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