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WASHINGTON -- A West Virginia senator is calling the president's proposed American Jobs Plan a partisan proposal.
The more-than-$2 trillion infrastructure and jobs plan from President Joe Biden was announced Wednesday. It includes funding for beyond basic infrastructure such as roads and bridges, public transportation, schools and hospitals and water and sewer systems.
"While the president unveiled a partisan proposal that goes far beyond what constitutes as infrastructure, the Senate continues negotiations between members of both parties," said U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., a ranking member on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
The committee has delivered bipartisan solutions addressing the nation's top infrastructure needs, she said. In 2019 the committee unanimously reported a bipartisan surface transportation reauthorization bill and last week, unanimously reported legislation to rebuild water systems, Capito said.
"This proves that infrastructure can and should be done on a bipartisan basis," she said.
Capito said she remains committed to working together for a surface transportation reauthorization bill and infrastructure legislation.
"However, that's not what the president is proposing today. Instead, President Biden's so-called 'jobs' proposal is a clear attempt to transform the economy by advancing progressive priorities in an unprecedented way," Capito said.
Biden's proposal will reduce the use of traditional energy resources, eliminating jobs in West Virginia and elsewhere, and burden the economy with tax increases while the country recovers from economic hardship, Capito said.
"Regardless of the president's partisan proposal, I stand ready to be a partner in advancing infrastructure legislation in a bipartisan way, just as we have in the past," she said. "We've done it before, and we can do it again."
Jess Mancini can be reached at jmancini@newsandsentinel.com.