President Joe Biden has made two proposals for legislation allocating billions of dollars to infrastructure. Senate Republicans have countered with two proposals of their own, both far below the cost of Biden’s.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine says she's working with a bipartisan group of senators on a plan they hope will satisfy both sides.
Collins says there is broad agreement in Washington that the country needs a major infrastructure plan to repair and replace crumbling roads and aging bridges. But, she says, there are several points of departure.
“One is the scope: what is infrastructure. Second is what should the top line be: how much should it cost. And third is: how shall we pay for it," she says.
Collins says she has been working with seven other senators, four from each party, on a compromise measure they hope will win the approval of both parties and the President. She says the group will continue their talks over the next few weeks and will be ready to submit their proposal if the talks between Biden and Senate Republicans fail.
"There is a bipartisan group of us, of four Democrats and four Republicans who continue to work, more behind the scenes to try and iron out some of the issues,” she says.
