22 April 2021
Senate Republicans formally rolled out the framework for their $568 billion counterproposal to President Biden's $2.5 trillion infrastructure plan on Thursday.
Why it matters: The package is far narrower than anything congressional Democrats or the White House would agree to, but it serves as a marker for what Republicans want out of a potential bipartisan deal.
Between the lines: Biden insists he wants his "American Jobs Plan" to pass with bipartisan votes and go through regular order in the Senate, meaning it would need at least 10 GOP senators to sign on.
- The administration has invited a number of Republican lawmakers to the White House over the past several weeks in a sign of sincerity of Biden's pledge.
- But even without Republican support, Biden and the Democratic-controlled Senate could opt to pass the bill via the budget reconciliation process, which would only require a simple majority vote. Having this tool at their disposal has made many Republicans wary of whether Biden will stay committed to his pledge of reaching across the aisle.
- So a group of Senate Republicans, led by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.), the ranking Republican on the Environment and Public Works Committee, crafted a scaled-down infrastructure plan that they argue could pass with bipartisan support.
- Other Senate co-sponsors include Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.).
Details: The Republicans' package focuses on the elements in the first part of Biden's Build Back Better agenda — building up America's roads, bridges, airports and ports, or what the GOP calls "traditional" infrastructure.
- It also includes provisions on expanded broadband, particularly in rural areas, and building up water infrastructure.
- The GOP framework calls for the government to fully cover the cost of the bill "to avoid increasing the debt."
- Republican senators argue the bill should repurpose some of the $350 billion sent out to state and local governments in the "American Rescue Plan," as well as encourage private sector investment to help pay for the package.
What's absent: The parts of Biden's bill that Republicans largely consider a "progressive wishlist" — including provisions meant to tackle climate change and promote racial equality.
- The senators call for preserving the 21% corporate tax rate, which Biden has proposed raising to 28% to help pay for the bill, and demand the cap on the state and local tax deduction (SALT) remains unchanged.
- The bill insists on preserving former President Trump's "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act." Biden's plan would raise taxes on those making more than $400,000 a year.
By the numbers:
- $299B for roads and bridges
- $61B for public transit
- $65B for broadband infrastructure
- $44B for airports
- $35B for drinking water and wastewater
- $20B for rail systems
- $13B for safety
- $17B ports and inland waters
- $14B for water storage
Go deeper:Read the GOP framework.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.