WASHINGTON — A coalition of two dozen business and labor groups announced Thursday that they support the $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan developed by a bipartisan group of senators and endorsed by President Joe Biden.
“We urge Congress to turn this framework into legislation that will be signed into law, and our organizations are committed to helping see this cross the finish line,” the groups said in a joint statement.
The organizations, which include the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and AFL-CIO, said that investing in the nation’s roads, bridges, airports, transit, water, energy and broadband infrastructure “will create middle-class family sustaining jobs.”
“Don’t let partisan differences get in the way of action — pass significant, meaningful infrastructure legislation now,” their statement said.
Other groups that signed the statement include the Business Roundtable, National Association of Manufacturers, National Retail Federation, American Association of Port Authorities, and American Public Transportation Association.
Biden announced the deal in late June, which includes $579 billion in new spending on top of previously authorized funding. The agreement has been on shaky ground since the start of the July Fourth congressional recess as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., hasn’t said whether he will support the proposal.
The president recently had to walk back comments that he wouldn’t sign the bipartisan deal if Congress didn’t also send him a separate Democrats-only package of his remaining priorities that they could potentially pass without Republican support.
Meanwhile, conservative groups have sent a letter to GOP leaders in Congress urging them to oppose the bipartisan plan.
The letter, signed by former Trump adviser Stephen Moore and Americans for Tax Reform’s Grover Norquist, among others, said that four “preconditions” should be met before Republicans support the plan, including repurposing $2 trillion from already allocated funds this year and not allowing any funding to go to IRS enforcement.
