President Biden flew to Cincinnati on Wednesday to promote his economic agenda and participate in a town hall aired on CNN, even as a bipartisan infrastructure agreement he brokered failed its first formal test in the Senate.
Mr. Biden toured a union training center, the I.B.E.W./N.E.C.A. Electrical Training Center, where he was scheduled to give remarks making the case that his $4 trillion economic plan will create high-paying union jobs.
The president will then head to Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, where he will participate in the town hall airing at 8 p.m. Eastern. Mr. Biden will field questions about the impact of the $1.9 trillion economic aid bill he signed into law in March, White House officials said in guidance for reporters, and about the two legislative components of his broader economic agenda.
Those are the bipartisan agreement to spend nearly $600 billion to repair and build physical infrastructure like bridges and broadband internet, and a $3.5 trillion budget blueprint that Democrats in the Senate will seek to use to pass Mr. Biden’s plans to build affordable housing, spur low-carbon energy development, expand home health care for older and disabled Americans, and more.
While Mr. Biden was flying to the Kentucky airport that serves Cincinnati, senators voted on a motion to advance the bipartisan infrastructure framework, which is not yet finalized nearly a month after Mr. Biden and centrist lawmakers unveiled it at the White House. The vote failed, leaving Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, to schedule another vote next week in hopes of moving the agreement forward.
Administration officials have engaged in negotiations with Republicans and Democrats in recent days to finalize the deal, including how to fully pay for its spending. Even as those talks continue, White House officials have made clear in recent days that they supported Mr. Schumer’s attempts to push the bill on Wednesday.
“We understand this is a legislative process, and it’s ongoing,†the White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, said on Wednesday on the way to Cincinnati. She said the administration was heartened by a bipartisan statement from Senate negotiators indicating that a final agreement was within reach.
“We’re encouraged by the progress and grateful to the Democrats and Republicans involved,†Ms. Psaki said.
