WASHINGTON — Aiming to preserve a fragile bipartisan deal on infrastructure, President Joe Biden said Saturday he didn’t mean to suggest he would veto the bill unless Congress also passed a larger package to expand the social safety net.
Speaking on Thursday when the deal was reached, Biden had said the two packages needed to move in “tandem” and “If they don’t come, I’m not signing. Real simple.”
Those comments sparked criticism from some Republican lawmakers who were party to the deal. Biden sought Saturday to clarify his position.
“My comments also created the impression that I was issuing a veto threat on the very plan I had just agreed to, which was certainly not my intent,” he said.
Biden had been holding out hope of reaching a bipartisan deal on infrastructure — a years-long Washington priority — with Democrats pursuing the larger second bill on party lines through the budget reconciliation process.
“My hope is that we’ll still get this done,” said Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, the lead Republican negotiator, in an interview Friday with The Associated Press.
“It’s really good for America. Our infrastructure is in bad shape,” he said. “It’s about time to get it done.”
The long process of turning Biden’s nearly $4 trillion infrastructure proposals into law promises to be difficult. Ten Republican senators would be needed to pass the bipartisan accord in the 50-50 Senate, where 60 votes are required to advance most bills.
While the senators in the bipartisan group are among some of the more independent-minded lawmakers, known for bucking their party’s leadership, it appears criticism by Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Biden’s approach could peel away GOP support.
