Senator Rob Portman says IRS app dropped as way to pay for infrastructure plan

The Republicans’ chief negotiator for a bipartisan infrastructure bill said on Sunday that lawmakers had scrapped a proposal to strengthen IRS enforcement as a way to pay for the package.

The increase in IRS enforcement of tax collection to pay for the $ 579 billion bill has emerged as a point of contention among Senate negotiators, with many anti-spending conservative groups and lawmakers voicing their concerns.

“One of the reasons that is not part of the proposal is that we took a step back. Another reason is that we found out that the Democrats were going to put a proposal in the reconciliation package that was not just similar to the one we had, but with a So this created quite a problem, because the general agreement is that this is the bipartite negotiated infrastructure package and we will stick to that, ”Portman said. Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union”.

Senate Democrats are eager to complete the infrastructure bill, which provides $ 579 billion to build roads, bridges and public transportation, so they can officially start the party line bill. $ 3.5 trillion before a month-long hiatus scheduled for August.

They fear crashing into fall deadlines to fund the government and raise the debt ceiling, two issues that could be controversial. The main delay in the original physical infrastructure bill was a widespread failure to agree on how to pay for the $ 579 billion in new spending.

One impending hurdle is the score of the Congressional Budget Office, which will test whether funding proposals sufficiently foot the bill.

Portman said lawmakers “are still negotiating” several “final details with the White House” and that he and other lawmakers on both sides would have further talks later on Sunday.

“Later today we will have further negotiations with Republicans and Democrats who have come together to put this bill on a very unusual course for Washington,” he said.

Portman also dismissed the need for “arbitrary” deadlines and suggested negotiators might disregard one set by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., who said he wanted a vote crucial procedural review on the infrastructure deal on Wednesday.

“Chuck Schumer, with all due respect, does not write the bill, neither does Mitch McConnell,” said Senate Republican Leader Portman. “That is why we should not have an arbitrary deadline of Wednesday. We should present the legislation when it is ready.”