Construction companies around the country have been hopeful the Biden Administration's infrastructure plan would infuse life into its sector, however, money for construction projects are on hold while lawmakers duke it out in Washington.
Republicans are lining up against the massive infrastructure plan set forth by the President. GOP officials argue the package is too expensive and was stuffed with overly partisan programs that have nothing to do with fixing roads and bridges.
Mississippi Governor is calling the plan nothing more than a $2 trillion tax hike. Democrats threaten to move ahead with the plan without Republican votes with the power of a 50-50 Senate.
The infrastructure proposal includes hundreds of billions of dollars for projects like bridges and roads, but also contains money allocated for non-construction related projects like in-home care services for the elderly, manufacturing, and investments in climate change initiatives like electric cars.
There's little debate the Biden Administration is moving towards more government control of the economy through these packages.
The Covid-19 pandemic has proven to be a helpful vehicle to expedite this shift, one that has the U.S. government's trending power on pace with what was seen in America during the presidencies of Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson.
Republicans laid out their case against the bill Sunday arguing Biden's new plan is about far more than infrastructure. Biden plans to partially finance the package by raising corporate tax rates to 28%, above the 21% threshold set by the Trump Administration. ,
There are also incentives to get Americans to start transitioning away from oil and gas, a wrinkle Republicans say is nothing more than a Trojan Horse for the broader agenda of the left's Green New Deal dream.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders argues infrastructure goes beyond bridges and roads, and should include "human infrastrcture", saying affordable healthcare should be considered part of the infrastructure definition.
Democrats appear ready to try to pass the infrastructure package using a procedural device known as reconciliation that was used to pass the Covid relief package without Republican votes. This would still require support from moderate Democrats.
