WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — President Joe Biden’s second major piece of legislation will face another test Tuesday as four members of his Cabinet testify before a Senate committee.
The Appropriations Committee will hold a hearing on the president’s American Jobs Act, which calls for $2.3 trillion investment in the country’s roads, internet, and green jobs.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge are expected to answer questions.
The plan has faced stiff Republican opposition, mainly over the price tag and the president’s plan to pay for it with a tax raise on corporations. President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts rolled the corporate rate down to 21 percent, Biden’s would hike it to 28 percent.
But Democrats, including the president, have insisted these investments are necessary to keep America competitive globally.
Biden has said he’s open to compromise on the bill, and some Democrats have floated the idea of splitting it in half to pass a more limited version that could gain bipartisan support.
Also Tuesday, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are meeting with the Hispanic Caucus. The group is made up of three senators and seven representatives.