The momentum for a bipartisan infrastructure agreement has never been this high.
President Joe Biden can seize the moment.
From Karl Rove to Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., to Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, to Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., the Washington conventional wisdom has finally caught up with the reality: Patriots on Capitol Hill are ready to stand up to the extremes of both the left and right, work through the details and make this a reality.
The G-21 Senate group and the House Problem Solvers Caucus continue to flesh out the details of a $1.2 trillion package, propelled by extraordinary bicameral negotiations and the clear backing of a broad majority of the country that wants this effort to succeed.
On Tuesday, close Biden ally, Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., one of the Senate gang of 21, shared his opinion: “Enacting a bipartisan infrastructure proposal is the best way to strengthen our recovery. … (N)othing will showcase that the United States is back like seeing Republicans and Democrats coming together around a bold infrastructure package that will make us more competitive around the world.”
In a just-released national Harvard/CAPS Harris poll, 78% say they want President Biden to accept a $1.2 trillion infrastructure proposal negotiated by a bipartisan group of lawmakers.
This feeling extends to President Biden’s home state of Delaware. No Labels just did a survey of the president’s state to get a better sense of what those voters want him to do on these negotiations. We found:
With talk of even more senators of both parties getting ready to join their 21 colleagues who are already united behind a bipartisan agreement and reporting that makes it clear that the White House wants a deal, now is the opportunity to get this done.
To help get this package over the finish line, No Labels has launched a partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Business Roundtable, was announced by No Labels co-chair and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, to join almost 150 business, military and civic organizations to sign a statement pushing for a two-party solution.
Several notable Delaware civic leaders, including Ben duPont, a Republican business innovator, and the state’s former U.S. Attorney and Attorney General Charles Oberly, are part of the effort, which also includes a No Labels TV ad campaign in Delaware and Washington, D.C., that draws on footage of President Biden from six consecutive decades talking about the importance of bipartisanship.
Delawareans, like all Americans, are ready to support Joe Biden’s fulfillment of a lifetime of promises to bring both parties together to meet the needs of the nation.
As duPont and Oberly wrote earlier this week: “Now, as president, Delaware’s favorite son faces a critical decision. At a rare moment when Washington is on the cusp of solving a huge problem — namely the sorry state of our nation’s infrastructure ..”
Get this deal done, and agreements on policing reform, immigration, minimum wage, competitiveness and more are all there for the taking.
Go to a Democratic-only process via reconciliation, and the tens of millions of Americans who support bipartisanship will be equal parts angry and incredulous.
Let’s do this thing.
Margaret White is co-executive director of No Labels, a national organization working to revive bipartisanship and to move Washington beyond gridlock to solutions to challenges faced by our country.
