While she said that “negotiations should continue” on a $1.7 trillion infrastructure counterproposal Mr. Biden made on Friday, her position had not moved: The White House bill was simply too big. “I think we’re still pretty far apart, but this is the test. White House officials hoped the concession would jump-start the talks, but Republicans swiftly rejected it. “I was glad that the president put a counteroffer on the table, but if you look closely at it, what he’s proposing to do is move a lot of the spending to a bill that’s already on the Senate floor,” Ms. Collins said. He pointed to the vast gulf between the Biden administration and congressional Republicans, who have said that his plan is insufficiently targeted on what they consider traditional infrastructure, such as roads and bridges.

Source: New York Times May 23, 2021 20:48 UTC