Exclusive: White House meeting with members of Problem Solvers Caucus
Members of the Problem Solvers Caucus discuss the COVID-19 relief bill in December. Photo: Oliver Contreras/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Top White House officials will meet Wednesday with a bipartisan coalition of House lawmakers as the administration tries to enlist moderates to support the president's infrastructure proposal.
Why it matters: The meeting is something of an olive branch after President Biden's team courted groups of progressives to back the $2.2 trillion package.
- White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain and counselor Steve Ricchetti will receive leaders of the 58-member Problem Solvers Caucus.
Among those expected to attend the session are Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), who co-chair the caucus.
- Democratic Reps. Abigail Spanberger (Va.), Dean Phillips (Minn.) and Tom Suozzi (N.Y.) also will attend. From the Republican side, Reps. Fred Upton (Mich.), Jaime Herrera Beutler (Wash.) and Dusty Johnson (S.D.) will be in attendance, a White House official said.
What they're saying: "The American people want us to work together across party lines," Gottheimer told Axios. "We actually have to use our bipartisan muscles or they will continue to atrophy."
- Last month, the group wrote a letter to Biden laying out its priorities. Besides the sprawling infrastructure package, members expect to discuss immigration reform, mental health, veterans issues and other topics on Wednesday.
Representatives of the group visited the southern border over the weekend.
- Fitzpatrick told Axios they intend to make immigration a priority issue after progress on the infrastructure bill.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct Rep. Spanberger's home state to Virginia.