Sen. Sherrod Brown is hoping for a bipartisan deal to push through the latest federal infrastructure proposal, but he’s concerned about how to pay for it.
The Democrat said he’s encouraged by anything which has bipartisan support, such as the $1.2 trillion bill to improve roads and bridges. He believes the way to pay for it is by increasing taxes on the wealthy.
“Some Republicans are suggesting a gas tax, which I think is a bad idea. Others are saying leave it unpaid for. Others are saying, ‘take the money from the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Child Tax Credit.’ None of those make any sense to me,” Brown said.
Ohio’s Republican senator, Rob Portman, said he supports the $1.2 trillion proposal being worked out in Congress. But on “Meet the Press” Sunday, he called a $6 trillion infrastructure proposal from some Democrats a “grab bag.”
Both Portman and Brown are also co-sponsors of the “Build America, Buy America Act.” The bill would apply to any taxpayer-funded infrastructure or public works projects, and passed the Senate earlier this month as part of the "United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2021."
Manufacturing Camp
Brown said Ohio is “a manufacturing state,” and so he’s also re-establishing a summer camp program for young people interested in manufacturing jobs.
“Too many people think of manufacturing is Rust Belt and dirty and we know that's not the case in the future,” he said.
Brown has been hosting the weeklong camps for nine years, with 27 of them in 2019. But in 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the camps were scaled-back and online-only. Things will return to normal this summer.
“I've been to enough of these camps over the years to see the excitement in these kids; sometimes these are kids that don't really like classroom education. But [there is] excitement in their eyes when I see them working on these projects -- usually with an adult who is very interested in mentoring them,” he said.
The camps have a fee, but Brown said students are never turned away and some scholarships are available.
A list of this summer’s camps is available here.
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