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Moran is not alone. Another supporter of the framework, Sen. Mike Rounds (RS.D.), has so far said he is not 100% committed to voting for the bipartisan plan.
“We don’t yet know what’s in it,” Rounds said. “I’m favorably impressed with what has been done, but we’ll just wait and watch the last thing. So there are still a lot of negotiations going on.
Comments from these two technically supportive Republicans show that after a two-week hiatus, GOP support for a cross-aisle deal with President Joe Biden is weak. The bipartisan infrastructure deal that five Senate Republicans helped sell to Biden is coming under scrutiny from the right, testing support from GOP centrists who will be critical in pushing the bill past. a guaranteed obstruction.
The core of support from five senators who directly negotiated the deal with the Democrats and the White House is strong: Mitt Romney of Utah, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Rob Ohio Portman. A second group of GOP senators who support the concept will be critical to the passage of the bill.
These senators include Moran, Rounds, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Todd Young of Indiana, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Richard Burr of North Carolina. Several of them are close to Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is undecided and could help sink him.
“The details will matter. I think a lot of our members are going to be wondering: how credible are the payments, how big are they? Said Senate Minority Whip John Thune. “For our members, it will all depend on whether everything is on debt. “
As a group of moderates from both parties draft nearly $ 1 trillion in legislation, the Conservatives are bombarding it with attacks for using increased IRS enforcement as a fundraising mechanism. And as the bipartisan framework becomes more real ahead of a Senate vote as early as next week, more Republicans are publicly concerned that it paves the way for additional billions of dollars in spending on Liberal priorities and tax increases. .
And many Republicans say the bill’s funding system, which also includes the privatization of infrastructure, unused coronavirus aid and remaining unemployment benefits, could end up performing poorly with the Congressional Budget Office. Once the bill is drafted, the CBO will calculate the bill’s projected cost and revenue – and many GOP members believe the mix of money for new spending will be insufficient.
Senator Shelley Moore Capito (RW.Va.), who has tried unsuccessfully to strike a separate infrastructure deal with Biden, said the finances of the bill “are a big question.” Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) said the bill’s funding mechanisms are “fundamental” to gaining his support.
“There is a big hole to be filled, and what I have seen so far does not indicate that they have filled it,” said Cornyn.
Despite high hopes of completing the legislative text this week and a possible floor vote in the week of July 19, drafting of the bill is expected to begin next week.
In addition to political concerns, former President Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked the agreement and the Republican senators behind it – many of whom voted to convict him during his impeachment trial – accusing them of ‘to be “played with and used by” Democrats. At least 10 Republicans are expected to back the deal over Trump’s objections. Moran, who is running for re-election next year and has Trump’s backing, said he was unaware of Trump’s opposition.
Senator Kevin Cramer (RN.D.) said Trump’s criticism of Republican senators “was a little misplaced.”
“The feeling I got from his posts was that he was targeting Mitch more to a certain extent, [and] calling weak Republican senators for signing, ”Cramer said.
Despite Trump’s attack on McConnell, Democrats suspect the GOP leader is in fact seeking to obstruct their plans, especially after he said he was fully focused on defending Biden’s agenda. McConnell said last week that there was a “decent chance” that the bipartisan bill could be worked out, but said it had to be “credibly paid.”
If McConnell were to withdraw his party from these talks, it would force Democrats to push their entire agenda forward through budget reconciliation. Portman gave executives an update on the status of the bill at a closed-door leadership meeting on Monday, according to a participant.
“This is really the test, if they are going to stick with it,” Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin said of his GOP colleagues.
Durbin said that despite yelling insults from his GOP colleagues over the Democrats’ plans to push through the rest of Biden’s agenda without the GOP, it is a “fair” path to take. Republicans tried to use budget reconciliation twice during Trump’s presidency, successfully cutting taxes and not repealing Obamacare in 2017.
Moran doesn’t see it that way. He joined bipartisan efforts in part to blunt Democrats’ efforts to pass a party line spending bill. And he’s ready to go if it comes to that.
“I want to be involved and engaged in this effort, but I’m still troubled by… the statements by President (Nancy) Pelosi,” Moran said. “It still doesn’t seem like the right negotiating tactic to say, I’ll support a bipartisan plan as long as I get a vote on whatever I want. “
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