Although it was a difficult 48 hours for the White House, the damage seems to have been avoided. It looked as though the bipartisan agreement on a plan for $1.2 trillion in infrastructure rebuilding was set to be completed again Sunday. The deal was centered on moderate Republicans, who said that President Joe Biden had resigned and that he would sign an infrastructure package regardless of whether it is accompanied by a larger economic package. This package includes many Democratic priorities that many Republicans oppose. On CNN's State of the Union, Republican Senator Mitt Romney of Utah stated that the waters are calm.AdvertisementGOP Senator Mitt Romney stated that he believes enough Republican votes exist to support the bipartisan, standalone infrastructure agreement. He also suggested that he take Pres. Biden is true to his word.Republicans will support infrastructure that doesn’t raise taxes.AdvertisementAdvertisementThursday's uncertainty surrounding the future of the infrastructure package was further exacerbated by Biden's statement that he would not sign it if another bill was presented to him. Biden stated Thursday that if this is all I see, I won't sign it. It's in tandem. Many saw that as an implicit threat to veto and the White House struggled to salvage the agreement. Saturday's statement by the president ended the White House's efforts to save the deal. Biden stated that my comments gave the impression that I was threatening to veto the plan I just signed up for. This was not the intention of my remarks.AdvertisementIn a long statement, Biden said that Thursday's comments that he would only sign the bipartisan bill on infrastructure "in tandem" with a reconciliation one "created an impression that I was issuing the threat of a veto on the plan I had just signed to which was definitely not my intention." pic.twitter.com/oc1AfphBpF DJ Judd, (@DJJudd), June 26, 2021AdvertisementThe words of the president were a relief for Republican moderates, who had been working alongside Democrats on the infrastructure plan. Sen. Ohio senator Rob Portman said that he and others involved in the plan's development were blindsided by Biden's comments, but are now ready for action. Portman spoke in an interview with ABC's This Week that he was happy to clarify the president's remarks, saying it was inconsistent with all we had been told. I'm glad that they have been delinked so that we can move forward with a bipartisan legislation that is widely popular, not only among Congress members but also the American people. Senator Bill Cassidy from Louisiana expressed optimism about the bill and suggested that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell might end up supporting it. On NBC's Meet the Press, he stated that Mitch would support it if we can achieve this. If it keeps coming together, I believe McConnell will support it.AdvertisementGOP Senator Rob Portman, GOP Senator, tells @jonkarl that he was "very happy to see the president clarify its remarks," as lawmakers negotiate an infrastructure deal."We can move forward with an bipartisan deal that is widely popular." https://t.co/QiMvnsbwFA pic.twitter.com/iVRch2YhoX This week (@ThisWeekABC), June 27, 2021AdvertisementWATCH: @SenBillCassidy claims McConnell will probably support the bipartisan infrastructure bill, but he doesn't like the president throwing his wrench in there.Cassidy: Mitch McConnell is a strong advocate for infrastructure. Meet the Press (@MeetThePress), June 27, 2021AdvertisementAfter Biden's statements with Senator Jon Tester (a Democrat from Montana), Democrats offered a positive outlook, predicting that the measure would get support from more than 10 Republicans. This is the minimum number required assuming all Democrats support it. I believe well receive strong support from both sides. Tester stated that he believes well receive more than 60 votes on CBS Face the Nation. Well get it through the Senate in the end.The New York Times notes that even though the immediate crisis was avoided, the past few days in Washington highlighted how perilous a path the president, his allies, and their legislative efforts in the months ahead. Dan Balz, Washington Post's political editor, agrees that it foreshadows a period of intense, legislative politicking for the remainder of the summer.
