White House chief of staff Ron Klain does not believe President Joe Biden’s infrastructure package is “big government.”
During an interview with Axios, Klain was asked about Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) remarks to Axios where he said “the American people want results” and are not worried packages are passed without Republican support.
Klain reiterated Biden is trying to “find common ground with Republicans on these economic measures that have been bipartisan in the past.”
He was pressed about the Biden White House trying to “go big on big government and bipartisanship” and that they are “contradictory,” as Axios’ Mike Allen put it.
Klain replied, “I don’t think it’s big government to fix the ten bridges in this country that are most economically significant and are in serious” disrepair.
Watch Klain’s interview below:
Biden’s White House chief of staff added, “Most of these Republicans have stood in front of a Rotary Club or a Kiwanis Club and given a speech about how we need to fix our bridges, roads, our highways, our infrastructure. People stand up and give speeches all the time about how people should have affordable childcare. It’s basic, basic things that we’re putting forward. And, again, I think they should have bipartisan support.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said over the weekend on an infrastructure spending bill, “The proper price tag for what most of think about when we think about infrastructure is about [$600 billion to $800 billion],” adding, “What we’ve got here can best be described as a bait and switch.”
Biden has proposed a roughly $2.3 trillion infrastructure proposal, American Jobs Plan.
The president is reportedly expected to meet with Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) on Monday at the White House to talk infrastructure, two sources told Axios.