The $2.2 trillion infrastructure plan unveiled Wednesday by President Biden was nothing like what he discussed in a meeting with Republican Senators including Oklahoma’s Jim Inhofe. He and Rep. Tom Cole are both critical of the measure with Cole saying it’s more like a Green New Deal.
“The Biden-Harris infrastructure proposal is a far cry from what President Biden and I discussed in our White House meeting,” Inhofe said in a statement from his office.
“President Biden’s plan uses roads and bridges – a truly bipartisan and popular issue – to try to advance the far left’s agenda. Its focus on advancing the environmental left’s vision for the American economy will hurt rural Oklahoma and eliminate oil and gas jobs. The tax hike proposal will also kill jobs and push others overseas.”
Inhofe said he had worked with past administrations on infrastructure plans to benefit all Americans.
“I am committed to working with the President and my colleagues in the Senate to do this right – it can be done this year just as it has many times in the past. Just last week we advanced a large bipartisan water infrastructure proposal, and I am confident we can do the same for a highway reauthorization.”
Congressman Cole said the plan would be better described as the Green New Deal by a different name.
“Included in this plan are extreme tax increases that would crush businesses and eliminate jobs, undermining the monumental Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 which ushered in vital economic growth and created jobs for hardworking Americans,” added Cole who sits on the House Appropriations Committee.
He said the “misguided policies” in the Biden plan would only encourage more businesses to move overseas.
“Although there a very few areas in the proposal that Republicans and Democrats can agree on such as updating roads, bridges, waterways and broadband nationwide, this proposal taken in its entirety is merely a progressive climate policy and irresponsible taxation wish list.”
Rep. Cole said increasing taxes on Americans and business while they are recovering from the pandemic “is simply wrong.”