The reasonable answer to the question, “Are Republicans serious about making an agreement with you?” is – Fuck No.
And yet, in spite of everything we know about Republicans, Coons thinks they will come around.
INSKEEP: Are Republicans serious about making an agreement with you?
COONS: I think we’ll find out today because there’s been a series of back-and-forth negotiations and proposals. Today, Senators Capito of West Virginia, Wicker of Mississippi are going to unveil their trillion-dollar counteroffer to the last negotiating session they held with President Biden. I remain hopeful that we can come together around significant investments in hard infrastructure – in bridges and tunnels and airports and ports – in revitalizing the things that help us move people and products and make our country more competitive.
I’ll remind you, last month we actually passed a $35 billion water and wastewater infrastructure bill. Literally, today the Public Works Committee is marking up an authorizing bill that I think will go through on a bipartisan basis. And this week we are debating – and I think we’ll finally pass – $120 billion bill for making our country more competitive with manufacturing and innovation.
INSKEEP: Senator, I’m…
COONS: There is progress on other fronts.
INSKEEP: Senator, I’m listening closely to what you’re saying there. And we’ll just remind people – the president asked for a couple billion dollars in infrastructure. You said they’re coming back with something that may be more like a trillion, and you are optimistic there can be an agreement on what sounds to me like traditional infrastructure, like roads and bridges. Do you think that’s going to be the shape of this? Some of the other, more creative parts of this bill will go out?
