Biden Meets With Capito as Deadline for Infrastructure Deal Looms

President Biden and Senator Shelley Moore Capito, the top Republican negotiator, had no breakthroughs. But they agreed to speak again on Friday.

WASHINGTON — Nearing a self-imposed deadline for a bipartisan infrastructure deal, President Biden met again on Wednesday with the lead Republican negotiator to try to resolve major differences over the size, structure and financing of an expansive public-works plan. The roughly hourlong meeting in the Oval Office between Mr. Biden and Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Republican of West Virginia, did not end with any public breakthroughs, but they agreed to continue their discussions on Friday. The two were pressing to find a compromise before Congress returns next week, when Democratic leaders and administration officials have suggested they want to see clear movement toward a bipartisan deal, or they may begin pursuing their own plan without Republicans. The latest talks came days after Ms. Capito and other Republicans proposed an overall $928 billion infrastructure package that would include about $257 billion in new funding for roads, bridges and other physical projects, compared with Mr. Biden’s latest plan for $1.7 trillion in new spending. Republicans have said that the president’s version is far too large and rejected his approach of raising taxes on corporations and wealthy individuals to pay for it; the White House has called the G.O.P. plan far too limited and ruled out the idea of using unspent coronavirus relief funds and increased user fees for drivers to finance it.