Senate Republicans unveiled their own $568 billion infrastructure plan Thursday, about one-fourth of the amount President Biden proposed spending earlier this month.
That announcement came the day after several GOP senators took to the floor to say they have questions about Biden’s plan, including Oklahoma’s James Lankford.
"This particular proposal spends $174 billion for electric vehicles but only $115 billion for the highways that they’ll drive on. We just believe we need to spend more on highways. We don’t mind incentivizing electric vehicles, but, quite frankly, there’s been a lot of incentives out there already," Lankford said.
Biden proposes spending $115 billion on roads and bridges, while Senate Republicans are calling for $299 billion, the bulk of their pared-down, five-year plan.
Lankford's reservations about Biden’s plan include its funding for public school kitchens to reduce or eliminate the use of paper plates and other disposables.
"I don’t know what your definition of infrastructure is, but I don’t meet a lot of Oklahomans that when I say ‘infrastructure,’ they think ‘school lunch trays.’ We need to work on infrastructure," Lankford said.
Senate Republicans' plan also calls for spending on broadband internet, water and sewer projects, public transit, and airports.
In a statement issued Thursday after the plan was announced, Lankford said Senate Republicans' plan was meant to spur talks and called Biden's plan a "partisan wish list."
"I am willing to work on real infrastructure improvements, like federal highways, waterways, rural broadband, and related items, not fulfilling partisan political promises that have very little to do with our national infrastructure," Lankford said in the statement.
