在乔·拜登总统公布其数万亿美元的大规模基础设施计划四天后，白宫正采取措施向美国人民推销这项政策，同时政府正与国会合作起草立法。

在他的“每周谈话”(拜登的每周讲话版本)中，总统与白宫新闻秘书珍·普萨基(Jen Psaki)、国家经济委员会主任布赖恩·迪斯(Brian Deese)和白宫副国家气候顾问阿里·扎伊迪(Ali Zaidi)一起，在回答公众关于该计划的问题时强调了政策的要素。

与美国人直接对话的策略可能是至关重要的，因为该提案面临国会两党的反对，一些进步的民主党人表示，投资还不够，而共和党参议院少数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔(Mitch McConnell)表示，他将“一步步”反对该法案。

当被问及麦康奈尔阻挠的承诺时，拜登指出了他认为选民在通过政策方面将发挥的重要作用。

“如果共和党人说我计划的下一阶段，我们不需要投资退伍军人医院，也不需要履行我们对这么多美国人的神圣义务。如果共和党人说40万家庭、学校和日托中心有铅管，铅管，把水送到他们的门口。如果他们说我们不应该那样做...拜登警告说:“我认为共和党选民会对我们是否能完成很多工作有很多看法。

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乔·拜登和他的工作人员在白宫于2021年4月3日在社交媒体上发布的《每周谈话》上回答了关于美国就业计划的问题。

白宫希望在双轨上向前迈进——努力弥合国会的分歧，同时与选民取得进展，以建立对政策的支持，并增加对立法者的压力。

总统已经委托他的五名内阁成员带头向美国人民和国会推销这项提议。所谓的“就业内阁”包括一群前市长和州长:交通部长皮特·布蒂吉格、能源部长詹尼弗·格兰霍姆、住房和城市发展部长玛西娅·福吉、劳工部长马蒂·沃尔什和商务部长吉娜·雷蒙多。

拜登周四在他的第一次面对面内阁会议上说:“这些内阁成员将与我在白宫的团队合作，代表我与国会打交道，与公众接触，推销计划，并在我们完善和推进计划的过程中帮助制定细节。”

该组织的工作已经开始:除了向美国人民传达他们的信息的媒体闪电战之外，该组织的每个成员都被要求打电话给监督各自部门的委员会的民主党主席和共和党高级成员。一名白宫官员表示，当成员在复活节假期后重新开会时，成员们还将举行一系列专门的委员会会议。

这项被白宫称为“美国就业计划”的政策超越了传统的基础设施项目，拜登宣布这是“美国一代人一次的投资”。

该计划确实拨款6210亿美元用于道路、铁路、港口、机场、公共交通和高速公路的现代化，并拨款1000亿美元在全国范围内消除100%的铅管。

但它也包括4000亿美元用于美国老年人的社区护理，1800亿美元用于清洁能源投资，1000亿美元用于在全国建设高速宽带。

德鲁·安格雷尔/盖蒂影像公司

2021年4月2日，乔·拜登总统在白宫国家餐厅谈论3月份的就业报告。

拜登在周六的讲话中说:“我们没有能力向公司、地方政府、非营利组织和农村合作社投资贷款和赠款，以便能够在进入21世纪时满足最低限度的互联网接入要求，这种想法似乎是非常短视的。”

白宫也借此机会在法案中强调了其气候努力，这可能会引起共和党人的愤怒。

“这项就业计划升级住房。它为交通运输提供电力。它投资于创新，构建我们应对气候危机所需的供应链。与此同时，它的目标是将投资的40%的收益投向弱势群体，”扎伊迪在周六的问答环节中表示，概述了该提案的主要气候投资。

一名白宫官员表示，政府希望在阵亡将士纪念日之前看到“重大进展”，议长南希·佩洛西希望在7月4日之前使该计划在众议院获得通过，但据一名熟悉她的想法的消息人士透露，这一时间可能会推迟到本月晚些时候。

这一时间表可能会给白宫带来一条艰难的道路，因为它正在努力弥合国会的分歧，并使该法案获得通过，尽管一名白宫官员强调，他们预计，与3月中旬在没有任何共和党支持的情况下通过的1.9万亿美元的新冠肺炎纾困措施相比，该计划将有更多的时间进行磋商和投入。

白宫办公厅主任罗恩·克莱恩(Ron Klain)周四接受采访时说，白宫希望“尽一切可能”以两党合作的方式向前推进，但不排除民主党可以在没有共和党支持的情况下推动该计划通过的想法，拜登的新冠肺炎纾困计划就是如此。

“最后，让我明确一点:总统当选是为了做一份工作。这项工作的一部分是让这个国家为赢得未来做好准备。这就是他要做的。我们知道它在这个国家得到了两党的支持。所以我们将尽最大努力在华盛顿获得两党的支持。

White House starts selling infrastructure plan to American people

Four days after President Joe Biden unveiled his massive, multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure plan, the White House is taking steps to sell the policy to the American people as the administration works with Congress on drafting legislation.

In his "Weekly Conversation" -- Biden’s version of a weekly address -- the president, along with White House press secretary Jen Psaki, National Economic Council Director Brian Deese and Deputy White House National Climate Adviser Ali Zaidi, highlighted elements of the policy while answering questions from the public about the plan.

The strategy of speaking directly to Americans may prove essential as the proposal faces opposition from both sides of the aisle in Congress, with some progressive Democrats saying the investments do not go far enough, while Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would fight the bill "every step of the way."

When pressed on McConnell’s pledge to obstruct, Biden pointed to the important role he believes voters will play in passing the policy.

"If the Republicans say the next phase in my plan, we don’t need to invest in VA hospitals and keep the sacred obligation we made to so many Americans. If the Republicans say the 400,000 homes and schools and day care centers that have lead pipes, lead pipes, delivering water to their doors. If they say we shouldn’t be doing that...I think the Republican voters are going to have a lot to say about whether we get a lot of this done," Biden warned.

The White House is hoping to move forward on dual tracks -- working to bridge divides in Congress while also making inroads with constituents to build support for the policy and increase pressure on lawmakers.

The president has already tasked five members of his Cabinet to take the lead on selling the proposal to the American people and Congress. The so-called 'Jobs Cabinet' includes a group of former mayors and governors: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

"Working with my team here in the White House, these Cabinet members will represent me in dealing with Congress, engage the public and selling the plan, and help work out the details as we refine it and move forward," Biden said at the top of his first in-person Cabinet meeting Thursday.

The group's work has already gotten underway: In addition to a media blitz to bring their message to the American people, each member of the group was tasked with making calls to the Democratic chairs and Republican ranking members of committees overseeing their respective departments. The members are also slated to hold a series of committee-specific meetings when members are back in session after the Easter break, a White House official said.

The policy, dubbed the "American Jobs Plan" by the White House, goes beyond traditional infrastructure projects, with Biden declaring it "a once-in-a-generation investment in America."

The plan does allocate $621 billion toward modernizing roads, railways, ports, airports, mass transit and highways, as well as $100 billion to eliminate 100% of lead pipes nationwide.

But it also includes $400 billion for community-based care for elderly Americans, a $180 billion investment in clean energy and $100 billion to build out high-speed broadband across the country.

"The idea that we're not in a position where we invest in loans and grants to companies and local governments and nonprofits and rural co-ops to be able to come into the 21st century with a minimum requirement of having access to the internet seems to be a very short sighted," Biden said during his address Saturday.

The White House also took the opportunity to highlight its climate efforts in the bill, which are likely to draw the ire of Republicans.

"This jobs plan upgrades housing. It electrifies transportation. It invests in innovation and it builds out the supply chains that we're going to need to tackle the climate crisis. And at the same time, it targets 40% of the benefits of the investment in the communities that have been disadvantaged," Zaidi said during Saturday's question and answer session, outlining the proposal's main climate investments.

A White House official said the administration is looking to see "significant progress" by Memorial Day, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi is hoping to get the plan through the House by the Fourth of July, though that timing could slip to later in the month, according to a source familiar with her thinking.

The timeline could create a tough road ahead for the White House as it works to bridge the divides in Congress and get the bill passed, though a White House official stressed they expect there will be more time for consultations and input on the plan than there was for the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief measure passed in mid-March without any Republican support.

In an interview Thursday, White House chief of staff Ron Klain said the White House wanted to move forward in a bipartisan way "if at all possible" but didn’t rule out the idea that Democrats could push the plan through without Republican support, as was the case with Biden’s COVID-19 relief plan.

"In the end, let me be clear: The president was elected to do a job. And part of that job is to get this country ready to win the future. That's what he's going to do. We know it has bipartisan support in the country. And so we're gonna try our best to get bipartisan support here in Washington," Klain said.