WASHINGTON, D.C. (KLFY) – When President Biden travels to Louisiana on Thursday, he will be looking for support on his big plan to get America working again, coming out of the pandemic.

“It is incredibly important to invest in infrastructure in Louisiana and around the country,” said Governor John Bel Edwards (D).

It appears to be highly unlikely President Biden will get support from the GOP in Louisiana.

“Based on his plan right now, which is it’s not an infrastructure plan, it’s a green new deal, reparations, welfare plan,” said Louisiana Senator John Kennedy (R). “I’m not voting for it for the same reason I don’t drink water out of the toilet.”

The backbone of the $2.2 trillion “America Jobs Plan”: infrastructure. $600 billion would go to states for roads, bridges, ports, public transit, and airports. However, the plan also includes billions for many other things like caregiving, manufacturing, technology, schools, and workforce development.
Part of the goal for the plan is to reverse racial disparities.

“This is not an infrastructure bill. Calling this an infrastructure bill is like calling Bill Cosby a feminist. About 5% of this bill is road, bridges, ports, and broadband. The rest of the other is social welfare,” said Kennedy.

“When people say, wait a second, I like this because we need a new bridge across the Calcasieu River in Lake Charles, I’m saying this plan will not give it to you,” said Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy (R). “The amount of spending for roads and bridges is so low that and split between 50 states over five years, you’re not going to get your bridge now.”

One of the ways proposed to pay for it would be to raise the corporate income tax , which Sen. Kennedy is opposed to. He says that tax would trickle down to Louisiana workers, and they would be the ones paying for it.

President Biden will be in Lake Charles and New Orleans. News 10 will have complete coverage of the president’s trip, on-air and online, on Thursday.