All 16 permanent members of the Cabinet, including Vice President Kamala Harris and the heads of the executive departments, attended the Thursday cabinet meeting in person.
Biden began the meeting by delegating five cabinet secretaries, namely Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Housing Secretary Marcia L. Fudge, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh to serve as his emissaries on his infrastructure plan.
“These cabinet secretaries will represent me in dealing with Congress, engage the public in selling the plan, and help work out the details as we refine it and move forward,” Biden said, The New York Times reported.
Biden also told his cabinet to “take a hard look at their agency spending” to ensure taxpayer money was going to US workers and companies.
Biden unveiled his $2 trillion infrastructure plan on Wednesday. The proposal allocates $155 billion to repair roads and bridges, $40 billion to improve public housing and $111 billion to ensure that drinking water is not contaminated.
In addition, the plan allocates around $100 billion to go toward public school buildings and $180 billion to research and development, NBC News reported.
The plan would also fix bridges and roads in need of reconstruction as well as establish a network of electric vehicle charging systems. As part of the plan, Biden would also hike the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday hinted that he is unlikely to support the infrastructure bill if it involves raising taxes or deficit spending.
"This is not going to be apparently an infrastructure package. It's like a Trojan horse. So it's called infrastructure but inside the Trojan horse is going to be more borrowed money and massive tax increases," he said, The Hill reported.
