Biden ends infrastructure negotiations with Republican senators

President Biden has ended negotiations with Senator Shelley Moore Capito and Republicans over infrastructure legislation, telling Capito Tuesday that the latest GOP offer didn't "meet the essential needs of our country" to fix roads and bridges, prepare the nation for a future reliant on clean energy and create jobs, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

Psaki said that Mr. Biden has talked with several House and Senate lawmakers over the past two days, and he appreciated Capito's efforts and "good faith conversations," but he was disappointed that after he had reduced his plan by over $1 trillion, Republicans had "increased their proposed new investments by only $150 billion." The president will now turn his attention to a bipartisan group of senators preparing their own infrastructure proposal. Psaki said he has spoken with Senators Kyrsten Sinema, Bill Cassidy and Joe Manchin, and he plans to stay in touch with the lawmakers while he's in Europe.