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.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House has put forward a $1.7 trillion infrastructure counteroffer to Senate Republicans.

The new proposal drops President Joe Biden’s sweeping $2.3 trillion proposal “in the spirit of finding common ground,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Friday.

Psaki released few other details, but she said the proposal agreed to reduce the funding request for broadband to match the Republican offer and to reduce the proposed investment in roads, bridges, and other projects to come closer to the number proposed by GOP senators.

Psaki disclosed the new offer as talks were still underway between key Cabinet secretaries and GOP senators at a crucial stage toward a deal.

“This proposal exhibits a willingness to come down in size, giving on some areas that are important to the president, otherwise they wouldn’t have been in the proposal. We’ll also stay firm in areas that are most vital to rebuilding our infrastructure and industries of the future, making our workforce and our country more competitive with China,” said Psaki.

Psaki said the administration will release more details of the counterproposal soon.

Skepticism had been rising on all sides amid complaints about the lack of significant movement off the opening bids. Republicans had offered a $568 billion plan.

The president’s team had set a soft Memorial Day deadline to determine whether a deal was within reach.