Blunt: Biden 'infrastructure' bill should be 30% of current level, slams partisan add-ons as 'big mistake'
Missouri Republican says a bipartisan package is 'easily doable'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Biden's massive spending plan needs to be cut by around 70% for Republicans to get on board, Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., suggested on "Fox News Sunday."
"I think there’s an easy win here for the White House if they would take that win, which is make this an infrastructure package which is about 30% ... of the $2.25 trillion they're talking about spending," Blunt said.
The multitrillion-dollar proposal includes a $400 billion expenditure on care for the elderly and disabled, as well as billions more on allocations unrelated to infrastructure. Blunt said his advice to the White House is to focus on "traditional" infrastructure improvements, and leave out any extras for later.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}BIDEN'S $2T SPENDING PLAN, BILLED AS INFRASTRUCTURE BILL, SPENDS LESS THAN HALF ON INFRASTRUCTURE
"I think it's a big mistake for the administration," he said. "And I also think it would be an easy victory if we go back and look at roads and bridges and ports and airports and maybe even underground water systems and broadband. You'd still be talking about less than 30% of this entire package, and it’s an easily doable 30%."
Blunt broke down how 30% of Biden's proposal would amount to nearly $615 billion, which he said could be funded by aiming taxes at electric vehicle usage, since they use less gasoline and therefore pay less gas tax.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Missouri senator said he and others like Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Mark Warner, D-Va., have tried in the past to group together a "real" bipartisan infrastructure plan of this nature.
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"We need that. It will have huge economic impact," he said. "Obviously, Democrats have figured out that infrastructure is something we need and something that’s popular, and so they're trying to take 70% of this bill and call it infrastructure in a new way. ... And that means you're looking at another partisan package just like we had with COVID."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News’ Tyler Olson contributed to this report.