Upton Pitches Bipartisan Infrastructure Proposal

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train-safe-2324

Congressman Fred Upton says if an infrastructure package is going to be approved in Washington, it will have to be bipartisan, and that’s why he’s optimistic the proposal made last weekend by the Problem Solvers caucus has a chance. The group is pitching a $1.2 trillion plan that Upton tells WSJM News is scaled back from President Biden’s more than $2 trillion proposal.

“I think to a person we all thought the $2.2 trillion President Biden proposal was too big,” Upton said. “It included a lot of things that were not what’s normally considered infrastructure. Bricks and mortar, that type of thing.”

Upton says this package is focused on more traditional infrastructure like roads and bridges, but also accounts for more recent issues.

“It’s to try to make sure that our energy grid is resilient to sustain even cyber attacks as we’ve seen, or weather-related damage. That’s part of this as well.”

Upton says when talks broke down between Biden and Republican senators, the Problem Solvers plan rose to the forefront. The framework includes $518 billion for roads, $64 billion for bridges, and $120 billion for Amtrak. It also includes $71 billion for the electric grid and $45 billion for broadband.