Democrats signal they’re open to concessions on infrastructure
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and top Democrats are signaling privately they are willing to make concessions over Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan, or break it into chunks, if that will attract even a handful of Republican votes and allow them to notch a bipartisan win, people familiar with the strategy say.
The president spoke recently with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and suggested he was contemplating her counteroffer of roughly $568 billion more seriously than he viewed the Republican response to his COVID-19 relief legislation, which he dismissed quickly as inadequate.
Top Senate Democrats are regularly meeting with their Republican counterparts, and some have adopted a mantra — “slow, steady and piecemeal” — to signal their willingness to seek bipartisanship on smaller-scale bills, even if that doesn’t square neatly with Biden’s initial vision of immediate transformational change.
Among those actively talking to congressional Republicans are Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Christopher Coons, D-Del., a longtime friend of Biden’s who is in frequent contact with the White House. Buttigieg has spoken to more than 20 members of Congress about the infrastructure plan, an aide said.
The new, more conciliatory strategy stands in sharp contrast with Democrats’ approach to the COVID relief package, which they viewed as more urgent and pushed through quickly with no Republican votes. It reflects Biden’s strong desire to head into the 2022 midterms with at least one bipartisan achievement, as well as the anxiety of some centrist Democrats about Biden’s sweeping plans.
“We have a little more time for the consideration of this, and the percolation of these proposals, to have broader consultation and dialogue,” said Steve
