WASHINGTON — Negotiations between President Joe Biden and a group of Republican senators on reaching a compromise on infrastructure legislation has officially ended.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito has been spearheading the conversations from the GOP side. Biden and Capito spoke Tuesday by phone for only a few minutes, according to reports, and it appears the two sides are too far apart to reach a deal.
Biden "informed Senator Capito today that the latest offer from her group did not, in his view, meet the essential needs of our country," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a prepared statement.
Biden is reaching out to senators from both parties now, as the White House tries to build bipartisan support for a compromise deal.
"The President also spoke with Senators Sinema, Cassidy, and Manchin today. He urged them to continue their work with other Democrats and Republicans to develop a bipartisan proposal," Psaki said.
Republicans had offered a $928 billion proposal, which included about $330 billion in new spending.
Biden was seeking a $1.7 trillion investment.
The money is for roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects.
A major stumbling block between the two sides has been how to pay for the work that needs to be done.
