(Katherine Jones / Idaho Statesman )

President Joe Biden’s first infrastructure and jobs proposal has stalled in negotiations with Republicans. Now, a bipartisan group of senators says they’ve come up with a slimmed down plan, which excludes some elements that critics say don’t fit into a traditional infrastructure measure. By omitting child and elder care in the bipartisan bill, that measure may lose progressive Democrats while trying to appease to conservatives.

Meanwhile in Idaho’s capital city, transportation leaders are hopeful funding will eventually get passed and they have big plans for how they would use it to improve public transit. From bus route improvements to an ambitious (but not new) commuter rail idea connecting Boise with Nampa and Caldwell, Idaho Matters talks with freelance journalist Kevin Fixler who wrote about this for the Idaho Capital Sun.