It's no secret there's some confusion over infrastructure: what exactly it covers, and how President Joe Biden plans to change the current systems. 23ABC is taking an in-depth look at what's on the table, why politicians can't seem to agree, and how much it's going to cost you.
WHAT EXACTLY IT COVERS, AND HOWTHE PRESIDENT PLANTO CHANGE THE CURRENT SYSTEMS.TONIGHT WE'RE TAKING AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT WHAT'S ON THETABLE, WHY POLITICIANS CAN'TSEEM TO AGREE, AND HOW MUCHITS GOING TO COST YOU.FIRST-- LET'S RECAP WHAT THEBIDEN ADMINISTRATIONSAYS IT WANTS TO DO.BACK IN MARCH-- THE PRESIDENTANNOUNCED HIS INFRASTRUCTUPLAN AND THE AMERICAN JOBS PLAN.THE PRESIDENT SAYS THOSE MOVESWILL CREATETHOUSANDS OF JOBS WHILE FIXINGROADS, BRIDGES, ANDBROADBAND CONNECTIONS IN NEED OFREPAIRS.SINCE THEN-- HE'S ALSO ROLLEDOUT THE AMERICAN FAMILIES PLANWHICH LOOKS TO ADD MORE SOCIALPROGRAMS FOR AMERICANSSO HOW MUCH WILL ALL THIS COST?THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN HAS ANESTIMATED PRICE TAG OF 1POINT 9 TRILLION DOLLARS.THE AMERICAN JOBS PLAN WILL COSTTHE FEDERALGOVERNMENT ABOUT 2 POINT 5TRILLION DOLLARS.NOW-- ADD ON ANOTHER 1 POINT 8TRILLION DOLLARS TOCOVER THE COST OF THE AMERICANFAMILIES PLACOMBINE ALL THAT-- AND YOU'VEGOT A TOTAL OF 6 POINT 2TRILLIONDOLLARS IN PROPOSED SPENDING.ALL THIS IN THE PRESIDENT'SFIRST YEAR IN OFFICE.U-S INFRASTRUCTURE WAS THE MAINTOPICDISCUSSION TODAY ASCONGRESSIONAL LEADERS METWITH PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN ANDVICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS INTHE OVAL OFFICE.
AMONG THOSE INATTENDANCE WAS HOUSE MINORITYLEADER KEVIN MCCARTHY.23ABC'S AUSTIN WESTFALL JOINS USLIVE IN NORTHWESTBAKERSFIELD WITH DETAILS ON THEMEETING, AND WHAMCCARTHY'S INFRASTRUCTUREPRIORITIES ARE MOVINGFORWARD.
AUSTIN?IT WAS JUST TWO WEEKS AGO THATHOUSE MINORITY LEADER KEVINMCCARTHY TOLD 23ABC THAT HE WASSTILL WAITING FOR HISFIRST MEETING WITH PRESIDENT JOEBIDEN.
TODAY, IT FINALLYHAPPENED, AND THE TWO AIMED TOFIND COMMON GROUND"I FELT OUR MEETING WAS VERYSTRONG,WE TALKED ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE.I THINK THERE'S A PLACE WE CANFINDBIPARTISANSHIP."THE OVAL OFFICE WAS THE SCENE OFA MEETING OF CONGRESSIONALLEADERS WEDNESDAY, WHERE BOTHDEMOCRATS ANDREPUBLICANS TALKED ABOUT THEFUTURE OF INFRASTRUCTURESPENDING NATIONWIDE.
DISCUSSIONSCIRCLING AROUNDTHE 2.3 TRILLION DOLLARINFRASTRUCTURE PROPOSAL THATPRESIDENT BIDEN ANNOUNCEDEARLIER THIS YEAR."ONE THING I BROUGHT UP TO THEPRESIDENT, WE NEED TOSTART WITH THE DEFINITION OFWHAT IS INFRASTRUCTURE?"HOUSE MINORITY LEADER KEVINMCCARTHY SPEAKING TO THEPRESS AFTERWARDS, EXPLAININGTHAT IN ORDER FORBOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE TO COMETO AN AGREEMENT, THENEED TO DECIDE WHAT COUNTS ASINFRASTRUCTURE, WHICH THEYREMAIN DIVIDED ON."THAT'S ROADS, BRIDGES,HIGHWAYS, AIRPORTS,BROADBAND.""WHEREAS DEMOCRATS ARESAYING THAT OUR INFRASTRUCTURECAN ALSO BE THINGS LIKECHILDCARE, IT CAN BETHINGS LIKE WIFI NETWORKS,THINGS LIKE PRE-K."ACCORDING TO SENATE MINORITYLEADER MITCH MCCONNEL, BOTHDEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS AGREETHERE IS A NEED FORINVESTMENT TOWARD THE COUNTRY'SINFRASTRUCTURE,BUT ALSO DIFFER ON HOW MUCH TOSPEND.
REPUBLICANSENATORS MAKING A MUCH SMALLEROFFER THAN BIDEN'S 2.3TRILLION LAST MONT"WHICH IS 568 BILLION.
THISWEEKEND, MITCH MCCONNELL SAIDTHEY ARE WILLING TO GO EVENHIGHER AS LONG AS THEY ARESTICKING WITH A TRADITIONALDEFINITION OF WHINFRASTRUCTURE IS."ANOTHER POINT THAT WILL NEED TOBE NEGOTIATED,ACCORDING TO MCCARTHY, IS WHERETHAT MONEY COMESFROM."YOU WON'T FIND ANY REPUBLICANWHO IS GOING TO GO RAISE TAXES."REPUBLICANS DID NOT GIVESPECIFICS ON HOW THEY WOULDLIKE TO PAY FOR ANINFRASTRUCTURE BILL.
THIS ISJUSTTHE FIRST STEP IN MANY MORENEGOTIATIONS TO COME, ALEX.AUSTIN THIS INFRASTRUCTURE BILLHAS NOT BEEN BROUGHTTO CONGRESS TO BE VOTED ON YET.DO WE KNOW WHEN THAT MAYHAPPEN?THERE ISN'T A SOLID TIMELINE,HOWEVER, SPEAKER OF THEHOUSE NANCY PELOSI SAID TODAYTHAT SHE BELIEVES THE BILLWILL BE READY WITHIN THE NEXTCOUPLE OF MONTHS.
SHE'STARGETING THE FOURTH OF JULY.AUSTIN WESTFALL 23ABCONNECTING YOU.SO HOW DOES THE GOVERNMENT PLANTO PAY FOR ALL OF THESPROGRAMS?THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION SAYSIT'LL BE FUNDED BY NEWTAXES.MOST OF THOSE TAXES WILL COMEFROM CORPORATIONS.THE AMERICAN JOBS PLAN CALLS FORA ROUGHLY 7 PERCENT TAX HIKEON CORPORATIONS.THE AMERICAN FAMILIES PLAN WILLRAISE TAXES ON THE NATION'SHIGHEST EARNERS-- BRINGING THATTAX RATE TONEARLY 40 PERCENT.THE PRESIDENT SAYS HOUSEHOLDSMAKING LESSTHAN 400 THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEARWILL NOT BEIMPACTED BY ANY OF THESE TAXHIKES.THE SEARCH IS ON FOR TWO M