3 big questions about biden's emerging $3 trillion infrastructure proposal

President Biden met with Senate Democrats late Monday to discuss their next big legislative goal, an infrastructure and domestic policy package with a working price tag of about $3 trillion.

The package, which _The New York Times_ reports could go as high as $4 trillion, would be the centerpiece of Biden's "Build Back Better" agenda, combining money for roads and

bridges, transportation funds, expanded pre-K and subsidized community college, broadband access, family support measures, and clean energy systems. Here are 3 big questions about

Biden's ambitious work in progress: 1. ONE BILL OR MORE? Biden's advisers are reportedly proposing splitting the package into at least two parts, trying to first pass a roughly $1

trillion bill to fix road and bridges, expand broadband, and fund other measure that have some broad bipartisan support. The second package would focus on people-centered economics, probably

using the budget reconciliation process so no Republican votes are necessary. "There's only one more opportunity to use reconciliation this year," so the second bill would be

subject to a GOP filibuster, _Politico_ notes. "That strategy raises an obvious question: Can Biden get 10 Republican senators to cooperate on 'concrete and steel' when they

know the tax and social welfare stuff they oppose is coming next via reconciliation?" SUBSCRIBE TO THE WEEK Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from

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directly to your inbox. From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. 2. HOW HIGH WILL THEY GO? The working

target for the legislation is $3 trillion over 10 years for infrastructure projects and the other proposals. Republicans are already raising concerns about the growing budget deficit. But

the U.S. should really spend about $6 trillion on infrastructure alone over the next decade, the American Society of Civil Engineers said in its 2021 U.S. infrastructure report card. Among

the reasons America got a C- are the 45,000 bridges in poor condition, water mains that break every two minutes, and 2,300 dams with "high hazard potential." 3. HOW WILL BIDEN PAY

FOR THIS? There are lots of potential funding mechanisms under discussion, but the biggest "source of money would be higher taxes on the affluent — people making at least $400,000 a

year — and on corporations," David Leonhard reports at the _Times_. That would effectively undo the 2017 GOP tax cuts. "Some Republicans have expressed interest in infrastructure

projects," but raising taxes would drain GOP support, _The Wall Street Journal_ predicts. Even without tax hikes on the rich, getting any GOP support will be a heavy lift, Leonhardt

says. "Congressional Republicans have almost uniformly opposed the top legislative priorities of each new Democratic president over the past three decades." Explore More Speed

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