The brief to this point has provided information relevant to making an independent judgment about what to include in an infrastructure package and how much to spend on it. We now turn to the question of how to pay for increased infrastructure spending. Of course, the amount to be spent impacts the answer about how to pay for it. A much more ambitious plan is required to pay for the American Jobs Plan proposed $170 billion per year in new funding than for Senate Republicans’ proposed $37.7 billion per year.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework that was agreed to by President Biden and the Common Sense Coalition hues closely to the Common Sense Coalition’s plan on the spending side. Fewer details have been agreed to at this point on how to pay for the more modest investments. Many or all of the funding sources in President Biden’s plan that are not included in the bipartisan package will likely be included in the separate legislation that includes human infrastructure and the American Families Plan.
We first review two of the largest funding measures that have been agreed to as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework. We then review President Biden’s proposals for how to pay for the American Jobs Plan that are not included in the bipartisan framework. Finally, we review the provisions of the Senate Republican’s funding framework not included in the bipartisan framework. Several of the plans include a number of smaller funding proposals, including some innovative ones, that are beyond the scope of this brief.