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Biden visits storm-battered Louisiana to tout $4BILLION infrastructure spending plan saying 'we have failed to properly invest for half a century'

  Joe Biden on Thursday night returned to the White House after a trip to Louisiana to tout his $4 trillion infrastructure plan.  The presid...

 Joe Biden on Thursday night returned to the White House after a trip to Louisiana to tout his $4 trillion infrastructure plan. 

The president spoke earlier in Lake Charles in front of a 70-year-old bridge that is 20 years older than its intended lifespan.

The bridge is part of Interstate 10, a critical east-west artery for transportation and commerce in the heart of the country's energy corridor, connecting Houston to New Orleans, a route lined with petrochemical refineries.

'It shouldn't be this hard or take so long to fix a bridge that's this important,' said Biden. 

'It makes no sense. But the truth is, across the country, we have failed to properly invest in infrastructure for half a century.'

Joe Biden on Thursday night touched down in Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base

Joe Biden on Thursday night touched down in Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base

The president then traveled via the waiting Marine One back to the White House

The president then traveled via the waiting Marine One back to the White House

He then travelled to New Orleans, and toured a water treatment facility. 

Biden is trying to convince voters and Congress that his proposal is bipartisan, and emphasized the message by being met on arrival in Louisiana by the state's Democrat governor, John Bel Edwards, and the Republican mayor of Lake Charles, Nic Hunter. 

'I'm willing to hear ideas from both sides,' said Biden.  'I'm ready to compromise.

'What I'm not ready to do is, I'm not ready to do nothing. I'm not ready to have another period where America has another Infrastructure Month and it doesn't change a damn thing.'  

He said his massive spending initiatives are inherently bipartisan, claiming: 'I've never seen a Republican or Democrat road.'

Republicans, however, claim Biden's $2.3 trillion American Jobs Plan is not focused solely on infrastructure. 

Instead, they say, it includes a slew of Democratic pet projects like green energy initiatives.


Biden is shown the pumping room at a New Orleans sewerage and water treatment plant

Biden is shown the pumping room at a New Orleans sewerage and water treatment plant

Biden was accompanied by the mayor of New Orleans, LaToya Cantrell, for a tour of the Carrolton water treatment plant

Biden was accompanied by the mayor of New Orleans, LaToya Cantrell, for a tour of the Carrolton water treatment plant

The president is seen inside the pumping room at the Carrolton plant in New Orleans

The president is seen inside the pumping room at the Carrolton plant in New Orleans

Biden addresses the media during his Thursday tour of the New Orleans facility

Biden addresses the media during his Thursday tour of the New Orleans facility

The president says his other $1.8 trillion bill, the American Families Plan, would be aimed at so-called 'human infrastructure' – like universal childcare or free community college.

Biden has proposed raising the corporate tax rate to 28 per cent from the current 21 per cent, in a reversal of former president Donald Trump's 2017 tax cuts. 

The raise stops short of fully restoring the rate to the pre-Trump level of 35 per cent.

During his speech on Thursday, however, Biden said the corporate rate would be raised to somewhere 'between 25 and 28' per cent – a departure from his previous proposal of an outright 7 per cent increase. 

As part of his $4 trillion infrastructure spending spree, Biden has said he will be taxing the top 0.3 per cent of American earners and has promised he won't hike rates for anyone earning under $400,000 a year. 

President Joe Biden said Thursday that his $4 trillion spending proposals 'doesn't cost anybody anything and deprive anybody of anything they have earned or deserve'

President Joe Biden said Thursday that his $4 trillion spending proposals 'doesn't cost anybody anything and deprive anybody of anything they have earned or deserve'

He was speaking in front of the Calcasieu River Bridge in in Lake Charles, Louisiana on Thursday to promote his $2.3 trillion American Jobs Plan

He was speaking in front of the Calcasieu River Bridge in in Lake Charles, Louisiana on Thursday to promote his $2.3 trillion American Jobs Plan

Biden fist-bumps with a worker gathered for his speech on May 6

Biden fist-bumps with a worker gathered for his speech on May 6

The proposals have businesses up in arms over their competitiveness with the rest of the world, with Biden's administration claiming it would push for a global minimum rate to keep the U.S. in the game.


Biden said passing the American Jobs Plan is a vote of conscience from lawmakers on whether they want to help the rich or working families.

He also delivered an impassioned defense of his plans on Wednesday, despite backlash over proposing top income tax rates are hiked for the wealthiest filers, by claiming the measures won't affect the lifestyles of wealthy CEOs even a 'little tiny bit.'

'We're not going to deprive any of these executives of their second or third home. Travel by jet,' Biden said in a swipe at Americans wealthiest.

'Not going affect your standard of living at all – not a little tiny bit,' said Biden.

The president has two homes outside the White House, his main residence in Wilmington and a beach home in the Delaware community of Rehoboth. 

As president, he also gets to enjoy plane travel on Air Force One for all flights – arguably better than a private jet.

Biden backed his tax hikes in his American Jobs Plan and other proposals and insisted it wouldn't impact 'multi-millionaires' but will help the people he grew up with in Scranton, Pennsylvania. 

Biden referenced his decades in Congress representing Delaware – a state where top companies are incorporated due to its beneficial tax and disclosure laws – and made the case that CEOs would still prosper even if his tax hikes go through.   

Around 500,000 people in the US, or 0.32 per cent of the population, have recorded a gross income of over $1 million.

For those earning more than $1 million in high-tax states, the total rate will be even higher given the combined federal and state tax capital gains. In New York it could be as high as 52.22 per cent and for Californians it could be 56.7 per cent. 

'The average CEO of Fortune 500 companies makes like 36 times with the average employee of that corporation made. It's over 450 times as much now. As my mother would say, who died and left them boss?' Biden said. 

'No seriously what rationale? Tell me, what benefit?' he asked, alternately raising his voice, leaning into a podium, and sometimes bringing his voice down to a whisper to make a point. 

'But I can affect the standard of living of people I grew up with – if they have a job,' he said. 

'Making sure that standard of living and who I grew up with if they have childcare and can afford it, so 20 million women can be back in the workforce.

'This is – this makes no sense to me. But, I'm going to have to be able to explain this. And I'm going to keep banging at it.'

He told reporters who came to hear his speech about providing assistance to restaurants struggling in the pandemic that, 'I think most of you understand what I said, whether you agree with me or not, I think you understand what I'm saying.

'It's fair to say this is about making the average multimillionaire, pay just a fair share. It's not gonna affect their standard of living a little bit.'

An August 2020 study by the Economic Policy Institute found the average CEOs of the largest firms earned 320 times what the typical worker got paid.  That was far more than they earned in the 1990s.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards presented Biden with a pocket rosary when he landed at Chennault International Airport in Lake Charles, Louisiana

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards presented Biden with a pocket rosary when he landed at Chennault International Airport in Lake Charles, Louisiana 

Bel Edward's daughter Sarah Ellen watched as Biden put the rosary on his finger on the tarmac

Bel Edward's daughter Sarah Ellen watched as Biden put the rosary on his finger on the tarmac

Biden indicated a willingness to compromise on things like corporate tax rates when he meets with Republicans next week. Some have suggested a 25 per cent corporate tax rate. 

'Yes, it doesn't have to be exactly what I say ... I'm willing to compromise, but I'm not willing to not pay for what we're talking about. I'm not willing to deficit spend. [What] we already have is $2 trillion in the hole,' referencing the costs of the 2017 tax cuts.

He said he would negotiate 'seriously' with Republicans. 

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