面对共和党人对他的批评”美国就业计划，“总统乔·拜登周三，他公开挑战他们，如果他们反对他提出的方案，就要坐下来敲定一项基础设施协议。

“我们将对好的想法和真诚的谈判持开放态度，”拜登在一周前推出他的计划后的讲话中说。“但我们不会接受的是:我们不会接受无所事事。不作为根本不是一种选择。”

拜登的建议呼吁在道路、桥梁、机场和高速公路的传统升级之外进行投资，并寻求建立一个50万辆电动汽车的充电网络，更换数千英里的铅管，实现国家电网的现代化，扩大护理服务的覆盖面，并增强高速宽带互联网。

共和党成员倡导一项直接的法案，该法案狭隘地侧重于道路和桥梁等传统基础设施，拜登对此的回应是“这是不合理的”。

“我很高兴进行这场辩论，但我要告诉你我的观点。我们是美国。我们不只是为今天做准备。我们为明天而建，”他说。

他要求国会共和党人与他们的选民交谈，他说他们将从提议的改进中受益，恳求他们“支持符合当前情况的基础设施投资”。

“和全国各地的人谈谈什么才是一个好经济的良好基础，”他挑战道。“问问老师或儿童保育工作者，我们的学校和儿童保育中心是否有干净的饮用水、无污染的饮用水，这是基础的一部分，因为我们知道，当孩子饮用这些水时，管道中的铅会减缓他们的发育。问一问衣阿华州最近十年第二次百年一遇洪水摧毁了其小企业的企业家。或者是去年西部烧毁了500万英亩的野火，面积大约相当于整个新泽西州。”

德鲁·安格雷尔/盖蒂影像公司

沿着弗洛拉的DC水务东北边界隧道工程的一部分仍在继续施工

但拜登不得不寻求支持的不仅仅是共和党人，他自己的政党在如何前进的问题上也存在分歧。

亚历山大·奥卡西奥-科尔特斯议员他在推特上说，他的计划需要“大得多”，国会进步核心小组说，它“应该在规模和范围上大得多”，然而参议员乔·曼钦想要更温和的提议。

总统称民主党和共和党讨论他们对他的大约2万亿美元计划的喜欢和不喜欢是“好事”，白宫表示，总统计划在国会两党成员下周休会后会见他们。

“这是美国的方式。民主就是这么运作的。欢迎辩论。妥协是必然的。变化是肯定的，”拜登说。

对拜登计划的另一个主要批评是，他计划如何通过将公司税率从21%提高到28%来支付这笔费用，并通过他的“美国税收计划”对美国公司的外国收入实施21%的全球最低税收。他周三表示，这个数字也有待谈判。

“我愿意听这个，”他说。“我已经提出了最好的、最合理的方式，在我看来，最公平的方式来支付它。但还有许多其他方式，我是开放的。”

财政部官员表示，如果拜登的税收提案获得通过，公司税的增加将在15年内带来约2.5万亿美元的收入，并永久产生收入。

拜登指责共和党人支持前总统，这引发了人们的不满唐纳德·特朗普s 2017税收改革这增加了国家债务，有利于高收入的美国人。

“哪里有义愤?我不想惩罚任何人，但是该死的，也许是因为我来自一个中产阶级社区。我厌倦了普通人被敲诈。”

拜登还沮丧地声称，美国“不再是世界的领导者”，因为与其他国家相比，美国缺乏基础设施投资。

“过去，我们将国内生产总值的近2.7%投资于基础设施。现在，大约是0.7%。当我们投资的时候，我们是世界的领导者。我不知道为什么我们没有得到这个。”

埃文·武奇/美联社

乔·拜登总统在木匠匹兹堡培训中心发表关于基础设施支出的演讲

他的税收计划的另一个方面是15%的最低税率，适用于比拜登在竞选期间提出的更少的公司。

当时的候选人拜登此前表示，该税将适用于账面收入超过1亿美元的公司，但该计划仅适用于收入超过20亿美元的公司。一名财政部官员周三表示，这比竞选活动中的范围“更窄”，将覆盖约200家公司，但最终只有四分之一的公司被征税。

拜登说:“这意味着公司无法将收入隐藏在开曼群岛和百慕大等避税天堂。”

总统还承诺在竞选公职时以两党合作的方式工作，并在他的前任任期后不断谈到团结国家。

然而，拜登在2009年的第一次立法成就中没有获得一张共和党选票新冠肺炎救济法民主党人被迫通过和解来推动国会通过。

参议院议员裁定，如果民主党人选择使用这一程序，他们可以在本财年再次使用这一程序，白宫不会再次关闭这一大门。

“和解是国会通过预算法案的一种机制，”白宫新闻秘书珍·普萨基周二表示。“我们将把机制和机制的决定留给国会的领导人。”

白宫对何时希望看到总统桌上的基础设施法案一直含糊其辞。Psaki只是说，总统“希望在5月前看到进展，当然也希望在夏天前看到一揽子计划。”

众议院议长南希·佩洛西此前表示，她的目标是在7月4日前通过一项法案。

Biden says he welcomes debate on infrastructure: 'Changes are certain'

Facing criticism from Republicans over his “American Jobs Plan,” PresidentJoe Bidenon Wednesday publicly challenged them to come to the table and hammer out a deal on infrastructure if they oppose what he’s laid out.

"We'll be open to good ideas and good-faith negotiations," Biden said in remarks following up on the rollout of his plan a week ago. "But here's what we won't be open to: We will not be open to doing nothing. Inaction simply is not an option."

Biden’sproposalcalls for investments outside of the traditional upgrades to roads, bridges, airports and highways, and seeks to build a network of 500,000 electric vehicle charges, replace thousands of miles of lead pipes, modernize the nation’s electrical grid, expand access to caregiving and enhance high-speed broadband internet.

GOP members are advocating for a straight bill that is narrowly focused on conventional infrastructure such as roads and bridges, to which Biden responded "that is just not rational."

"I'm happy to have that debate, but I’m going to tell you my view. We are America. We don't just fix for today. We build for tomorrow," he said.

He asked congressional Republicans to speak with their constituents who he says would benefit from the proposed enhancements, imploring them to "support infrastructure investments that meet the moment."

"Talk to folks around the country about what really makes up the good foundation of a good economy," he challenged. "Ask a teacher or a childcare worker if having clean drinking water, non-contaminated drinking water in our schools and our childcare centers is part of that foundation, when we know the lead in our pipes slows a child's development when they drink that water. Ask the entrepreneur whose small business is destroyed by the second 100-year flood in the last ten years in Iowa. Or wildfires in the west that burned 5 million acres last year, an area roughly the size of the entire state of New Jersey."

But it's not just Republicans Biden has to court for support -- his own party is divided on how to go forward.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Corteztweeted that his plan needs to go "way bigger" and the Congressional Progressive Caucus said it "should be substantially larger in size and scope," however Sen. Joe Manchin wants more moderate proposals.

The president called it a "good thing" to have Democrats and Republicans discuss what they like and dislike about his roughly $2 trillion plan and the White House says the president plans to meet with bipartisan members of Congress when they return from recess next week.

"That’s the American way. That’s the way democracy works. Debate is welcome. Compromise is inevitable. Changes are certain," Biden said.

Another main criticism of Biden’s plan is how he plans to pay for it by increasing the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28% and implement a 21% global minimum tax on foreign income of U.S. companies through his "American Tax Plan." He said Wednesday that that number is also up for negotiation.

"I am willing to listen to that," he said. "I have come forward with the best, most rational way, in my view, the fairest way to pay for it. But there are many other ways as well, and I am open."

Treasury officials say the corporate tax increases would bring in around $2.5 trillion over 15 years and generate revenue on a permanent basis if Biden’s tax proposal is passed.

Evoking frustration, Biden chastised Republicans for supporting former PresidentDonald Trump’s 2017tax reformswhich added to the national debt and favored high-income Americans.

"Where’s the outrage there? I'm not trying to punish anybody, but dammit, maybe it’s because I come from a middle-class neighborhood. I’m sick and tired of ordinary people being fleeced."

Biden also frustratingly claimed that the United States is "no longer the leader of the world" because of the country’s lack of infrastructure investments compared to other nations.

"It used to be, we invested almost 2.7% of our GDP in infrastructure. Now, it's about 0.7%. When we were investing it, we were the leader in the world. I don't know why we don't get this."

Another aspect of his tax plan is a 15% minimum tax that would apply to fewer companies than Biden had pitched during his campaign.

Then-candidate Biden previously said the tax would apply to book income of $100 million or more, but this plan would only apply to companies earning more than $2 billion. A Treasury official on Wednesday said this is "narrower in scope" than the one from the campaign and that it would reach around 200 companies, but only a quarter of them would end up being taxed.

"It means that companies aren’t going to be able to hide their income in places like the Cayman Islands and Bermuda, in tax havens," Biden said.

The president also promised to work in a bipartisan way as he campaigned for the office and constantly spoke about uniting the country following the tenure of his predecessor.

However, Biden failed to gain a single Republican vote for his first legislative accomplishment in hisCOVID-19 relief lawand Democrats were forced to use reconciliation to push that through Congress.

The Senate’s parliamentarian has ruled that Democrats can use the process again this fiscal year if they choose to and the White House is not closing the door on that happening once more.

"Reconciliation is a mechanism for passing budgetary bills in Congress," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday. "We will leave the mechanisms and the determination of the mechanisms to the leaders in Congress."

The White House has been vague on when it hopes to see an infrastructure bill on the president’s desk. Psaki has said only that the president would "like to see progress by May and certainly a package through by the summer."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi previously said that her goal was to pass a bill by July 4.