Congressional leaders and the White House are continuing negotiations for a potential bipartisan infrastructure package. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) met on May 12 with President Joe Biden to discuss the size, scope, and potential timing of a bill, and although no agreement was reached, Minority Leader McConnell noted in an interview the talks were “productive,” and President Biden stated he “came away encouraged” by the meeting.
The president met on May 13 with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), John Barrasso (R-WY), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Pat Toomey (R-PA), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) to continue infrastructure discussions. Republican senators are reportedly considering revisions to their initial $568 billion proposal (see Memo, 4/26), and plan to have a new draft sent to the president early this week.
Lawmakers have yet to agree on either the size of a potential infrastructure bill or the bill’s “pay-for,” with Republican leaders expressing staunch opposition to the suggestion of repealing the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to help finance infrastructure investments. President Biden has suggested Memorial Day as a potential deadline for bipartisan negotiations, and Speaker Pelosi noted she intends for the House to take up an infrastructure bill before the July 4 holiday.
The president and Democratic leaders have suggested the possibility of a two-part infrastructure package, with an initial, smaller bill focused primarily on surface infrastructure moving through regular order with bipartisan support, and a second, larger bill containing provisions left out of the initial bill passed through reconciliation.
NLIHC is working to ensure Congress includes in any infrastructure spending plan comprehensive resources to address homelessness and housing poverty, including these priorities from the NLIHC-led HoUSed campaign:
- Expansion of rental assistance to every eligible household
- $70 billion to repair public housing and make energy-efficient upgrades to existing public housing stock
- At least $40 billion annually for the national Housing Trust Fund to build and preserve homes affordable to people with the lowest incomes
Take action by signing your organization on to a national letter urging Congress to support robust investments in affordable housing at: https://tinyurl.com/zbau4kee
Learn more about NLIHC’s HoUSed Campaign at: https://nlihc.org/housed