Senators on both sides of the aisle said Wednesday evening there's an agreement with White House officials and 10 senators on a bipartisan infrastructure deal, with senators planning to meet with President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday to discuss it.GOP Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia said it's fully paid for and offsets the new spending."Everyone in that room agreed on the framework," Manchin said.The pay-fors have been fully agreed to as well, Romney said.The next 24 hours could determine whether two of President Joe Biden's major bipartisan priorities — infrastructure and policing legislation — will collapse.Related video: What's the deal with infrastructure?"We have a framework and we are going to the White House tomorrow," Sen. Bill Cassidy, one of the key GOP infrastructure negotiators, said.Sen. Rob Portman, another lead GOP negotiator, said after leaving the meeting with the bipartisan group and White House officials that they were able to "get there" on the pay-fors, but still have some final details to workout."I think we have a good balanced group of pay-fors, and that was important to both sides. I will say, in good faith, we tried to get there. We didn't agree on everything, but we were able to get there," he said when asked to characterize where negotiations stand on the pay-fors of the infrastructure package.Asked if they have a framework, Portman said he wouldn't use "exactly those words" Cassidy had, "but I would say, that we're very, very close.""We're going to go back to our respective staffs and work out the details," he added.He also confirmed they were invited to meet with Biden at the White House on Thursday and he will be attending.Staffers on both sides still have to write the legislative language of their agreement, but they say the White House has signed off on the topline numbers and the pay-fors."White House senior staff had two productive meetings today with the bipartisan group of Senators who have been negotiating about infrastructure," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement Wednesday evening. "The group made progress towards an outline of a potential agreement, and the President has invited the group to come to the White House tomorrow to discuss this in person."Ahead of a two-week Senate recess, senators are struggling to finalize two far-reaching bipartisan deals that are the pillars of Biden's agenda. If they don't finalize an agreement, Democrats will try to go it alone on infrastructure — a risky gambit that has no guarantee of success. And there likely won't be any new policing legislation this Congress without Republican backing.On infrastructure, a bipartisan group of senators huddled again with White House officials to try and find an agreement on how to pay for their $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan after a series of meetings Tuesday failed to yield an agreement. More officials were scheduled to meet with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday as well. It comes at a key moment: As Democratic leaders are looking at employing the budget reconciliation process to approve a sweeping plan -- potentially as high as $6 trillion — a move that can't be filibustered in the Senate. But it would need the support of all 50 Democrats, something several have yet to back as they've called for bipartisan talks instead."We're fast approaching" the time to "fish or cut bait," Sen. Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, told CNN of the bipartisan group's efforts.
Senators on both sides of the aisle said Wednesday evening there's an agreement with White House officials and 10 senators on a bipartisan infrastructure deal, with senators planning to meet with President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday to discuss it.
GOP Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia said it's fully paid for and offsets the new spending.
"Everyone in that room agreed on the framework," Manchin said.
The pay-fors have been fully agreed to as well, Romney said.
The next 24 hours could determine whether two of President Joe Biden's major bipartisan priorities — infrastructure and policing legislation — will collapse.
Related video: What's the deal with infrastructure?
"We have a framework and we are going to the White House tomorrow," Sen. Bill Cassidy, one of the key GOP infrastructure negotiators, said.
Sen. Rob Portman, another lead GOP negotiator, said after leaving the meeting with the bipartisan group and White House officials that they were able to "get there" on the pay-fors, but still have some final details to workout.
"I think we have a good balanced group of pay-fors, and that was important to both sides. I will say, in good faith, we tried to get there. We didn't agree on everything, but we were able to get there," he said when asked to characterize where negotiations stand on the pay-fors of the infrastructure package.
Asked if they have a framework, Portman said he wouldn't use "exactly those words" Cassidy had, "but I would say, that we're very, very close."
"We're going to go back to our respective staffs and work out the details," he added.
He also confirmed they were invited to meet with Biden at the White House on Thursday and he will be attending.
Staffers on both sides still have to write the legislative language of their agreement, but they say the White House has signed off on the topline numbers and the pay-fors.
"White House senior staff had two productive meetings today with the bipartisan group of Senators who have been negotiating about infrastructure," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement Wednesday evening. "The group made progress towards an outline of a potential agreement, and the President has invited the group to come to the White House tomorrow to discuss this in person."
Ahead of a two-week Senate recess, senators are struggling to finalize two far-reaching bipartisan deals that are the pillars of Biden's agenda. If they don't finalize an agreement, Democrats will try to go it alone on infrastructure — a risky gambit that has no guarantee of success. And there likely won't be any new policing legislation this Congress without Republican backing.
On infrastructure, a bipartisan group of senators huddled again with White House officials to try and find an agreement on how to pay for their $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan after a series of meetings Tuesday failed to yield an agreement. More officials were scheduled to meet with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday as well.
It comes at a key moment: As Democratic leaders are looking at employing the budget reconciliation process to approve a sweeping plan -- potentially as high as $6 trillion — a move that can't be filibustered in the Senate. But it would need the support of all 50 Democrats, something several have yet to back as they've called for bipartisan talks instead.
"We're fast approaching" the time to "fish or cut bait," Sen. Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, told CNN of the bipartisan group's efforts.
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