- Senate Support Comes to President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Plan
- The executive affirms that the White House is reviewing whether to open the borders with Europe
- A red phone with China may be a reality for Biden
Washington, Jul 28 (EFE News) .- US President Joe Biden‘s infrastructure plan received the backing of the Senate on Wednesday, which voted to debate the initiative after weeks of tug of war between Democrats and Republicans. The result shows the will of the two parties to approve one of Biden’s most important plans, which seeks to invest approximately one trillion dollars over 8 years in the reconstruction of bridges, railroads, ports and airports in the country.
Specifically, Biden’s plan exceeded a procedural vote with 67 votes in favor and 32 against, which means that the debate will now focus on the content of the initiative. It took several Republican senators to vote in favor of the bill because Democrats have a narrow majority of 50 seats, not enough to pass the measure alone. In most cases, 60 votes are needed.
An agreement was reached
This morning the Republicans announced that they had reached an agreement with the Democrats and the White House to unlock the infrastructure plan. And, just a week ago, Senate Republicans unanimously blocked Biden’s plan and did not even agree to debate the initiative during a key vote.
In a statement, Biden on Wednesday welcomed the agreement and said it shows the world that American democracy can work and do “great things.” A month ago, Biden and a group of 22 Democratic and Republican senators announced with great fanfare outside the White House that they had reached an agreement, but later the negotiations were complicated, especially by the reluctance of the Republicans about how it will be financed. investment in infrastructure.
Biden’s investment
Currently, the plan is valued at approximately one trillion dollars over 8 years, of which 550,000 will be for new projects, as detailed by the White House this Wednesday. In March, Biden proposed an investment of 2.3 trillion but the White House had to lower it due to criticism from Republicans. The goal of Biden’s plan is to modernize what he has called “physical infrastructure”: roads, bridges, railways, ports and airports, among others.
Outside the pact was the so-called “human infrastructure”, which is necessary, for example, to reopen the education centers for children that have closed during the pandemic, as well as to combat poverty, the climate crisis and expand “Medicare”, a health coverage program for people over 65 years of age. Those points have been included in a $ 3.5 trillion social spending package that Democrats want to push alone through a legislative formula known as reconciliation, which allows a bill to be passed with a simple majority of 50 votes, in instead of the 60 normally needed. EFE News
Biden says the White House is studying whether to open borders to Europe
Washington, Jul 15 (EFE News) .- The president of the United States, Joe Biden, assured this Thursday that the White House task force against covid-19 is studying whether to open borders to the Shengen Space, closed since the beginning of the pandemic, and that in the next few days it will give an answer. Biden made this announcement at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, with whom he had previously met and, according to the president, he also raised the issue of border opening.
“It is in the process of how soon we can lift the ban, it is in the process now,” Biden said when asked by a German journalist. “I will be able to answer that question for you in the next few days: what is likely to happen. I’m waiting to hear from our people on our covid team about when it should be done, ”he added.
Biden’s position is understood
For her part, Merkel confirmed that she had raised the problem at the meeting, but publicly she was sympathetic to the times of the US Executive. The chancellor acknowledged that the expansion of the Delta variant “is a new challenge” and said that before making a decision such as opening borders, the United States wants to make sure that it is “sustainable” over time.
“It certainly wouldn’t be wise to have to remove it after just a few days,” he said. The United States keeps its borders closed to travelers from the 26 countries of the Shengen Area, as well as Ireland and the United Kingdom, while allowing entry from nations in a worse pandemic situation. Despite pressure from multiple economic sectors or the fact that areas like the European Union have opened their countries to Americans for weeks, Washington has resisted reciprocity. EFE News
Biden studies creating a “red telephone” with China
Washington, Jul 16 (EFE News) .- The administration chaired by Joe Biden is examining the possibility of establishing an emergency direct line with the Chinese government, similar to the so-called “red telephone” established between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, which allowed direct communication with the Kremlin as a way to avoid nuclear war.
Although the idea is still in the pipeline and has not yet been formally raised with China, Biden wants to develop a rapid communication tool to reduce the risk of conflict between the United States and China, CNN published Thursday. The chain, which cites as a source people related to conversations about the device, assures that a direct line with Beijing would allow Biden, or the top officials of his national security team, to immediately make phone calls or send encrypted messages to President Xi. Jinping or his closest associates.
The main reason for this phone
For example, urgent information about sudden military movements or warning messages sent about cyberattacks could be shared. The idea of establishing a direct line with Beijing dates back at least to the Barack Obama administration, although the concept was not embodied in a classified national security memorandum until the final year of the Trump administration, according to a source familiar with it. add the string.
Officials in the Biden administration have pursued the idea, the sources said, but numerous details remain to be worked out, including whether the Chinese will agree to the device’s installation. The US has long struggled to get quick responses from Beijing when it comes to urgent matters, US officials told CNN, so this system would improve communications in this regard. The chain points out that a similar direct line already exists between the Chinese authorities and the Pentagon and, although it should be used exclusively for military matters, it is rarely used for any subject. EFE News