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Tags: families plan | biden | conservatives

WH Talking With Conservatives to Buoy Support for Biden's Families Plan

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(Joshua Roberts/Getty Images)

By    |   Monday, 05 July 2021 02:28 PM EDT

Senior White House officials are reportedly holding "informal discussions" with both conservative and liberal policy experts to bolster support for proposals in the administration's American Families Plan — particularly a revamped child tax credit.

The discussions came after President Joe Biden called on Congress to send an already hashed-out bipartisan infrastructure package — which includes nearly $1 trillion to modernize the nation's roads, bridges, airports, broadband, and other physical infrastructure networks — and a larger reconciliation package expected to pass with only Democratic votes to the Oval Office in tandem, the Washington Examiner reported.

Senior advisers Gene Sperling and Neera Tanden and a handful of other economic aides are leading the discussions, the news outlet reported. Some of the outreach has taken place in virtual briefings, while some individuals approached by the White House told the news outlet they were called directly by administration officials.

According to the Washington Examiner, those individuals were left with the impression there is potential for a second cross-party package that focuses on expanding child and family incentive programs — a topic that has in the past drawn interest from conservatives and GOP lawmakers.

Those individuals say that the main provisions likely to be included in any consensus proposal would be the long-term extension of the child tax credit and a paid parental leave plan. Other suggestions include expanding how states can allocate direct aid appropriated through the American Rescue Plan.

"There's this recognition that family policy is this wedge issue," one unnamed source told the Washington Examiner. "And if the Republicans let Democrats walk away with it, it's a problem."

The roadblocks in reaching another bipartisan deal include a lack of agreement with GOP economic centrists like Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

"I think if Republicans acted as a caucus, if Republicans were organized, they could push a genuine bipartisan negotiation on the family," unnamed source told the Washington Examiner. "The open question is, do they get their act together and approach the White House with a common set of priorities? And so far, I haven't seen them leaping at the opportunity to do that."

The White House insisted officials aren’t working with congressional offices to split off a bipartisan families bill from a budget reconciliation package with the remainder of Biden's infrastructure proposals, the Washington Examiner reported.

"The president knows the child tax credit would be a game changer for millions of families and would welcome bipartisan support for it but there is not a round of talks happening with Congress about a second bipartisan package," an unnamed White House aide told the news outlet.

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Fran Beyer

Fran Beyer is a writer with Newsmax and covers national politics.

© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


Politics
Senior White House officials are reportedly holding "informal discussions" with both conservative and liberal policy experts to bolster support for proposals in the American Families Plan...
families plan, biden, conservatives
467
2021-28-05
Monday, 05 July 2021 02:28 PM
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