President Biden got the discussion rolling on an infrastructure bill when he introduced a $2.3 trillion proposal March 31.
A group of Republican senators countered the president’s proposal Thursday, introducing a five-year, $568 billion plan for roads, transit and broadband. According to the Wall Street Journal, more than half of the plan ($299 billion) is dedicated to roads and bridges.
Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia), Pat Toomey (R-Pennsylvania) and Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) are the Republican senators behind the new proposal.
“These ranking members represent those Senate committees with relevant jurisdiction over infrastructure, and they have identified and prioritized those critical public works projects in most need of federal support,” says Michele Stanley, vice president of government and regulatory affairs at the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA).
According to the Wall Street Journal, Capito indicated that this new plan would not raise the gas tax. It might, however, introduce a vehicle-miles-traveled tax for electric vehicles.
“While NSSGA appreciates the broad and bold infrastructure proposals offered by the Biden administration and other elected officials, today’s proposal, which totals $568 billion over five years, incorporates $299 billion for the essential highway, road and bridge project investments our country desperately needs, yet are vastly overutilized and underfunded,” Stanley says. “We hope today’s proposal signals an opportunity for the Senate to work together toward passing a bipartisan surface transportation reauthorization that will create countless jobs, advance our nation’s economic competitiveness and improve the daily lives of millions of Americans.”
