White House Meets, Congressional Leaders Meet on Infrastructure Package

President Biden and Vice President Harris met at the White House February 11 with the bipartisan leadership of the Environment and Public Works Committee, including Chairman Tom Carper (D-DE), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and James Inhofe (R-OK) along with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to discuss the president’s plan to move a broad infrastructure package through Congress. It was the first of several scheduled bipartisan meetings on the topic. Biden highlighted that his goal was of job creation through “building sustainable infrastructure that will withstand the impacts of climate change and fuel an American clean energy revolution.”

The bill will increase spending to address America’s crumbling infrastructure including roads, bridges, ports and waterways. Chairman Carper said that he plans to move an infrastructure bill through the EPW Committee before Memorial Day. In the House, Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee Frank Pallone (D-NJ) has said he plans to pass an infrastructure bill with climate change initiatives through his committee before summer.