White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney Mick MulvaneyOn The Money: House panel pulls Powell into partisan battles | New York considers hiking taxes on the rich | Treasury: Trump's payroll tax deferral won't hurt Social Security Blockchain trade group names Mick Mulvaney to board Mick Mulvaney to start hedge fund MORE on Tuesday cast doubt on the chances of passing an infrastructure deal as President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE met with congressional Democrats for talks on the subject.

“Do I think there’s an interest in doing it? Yes. Do I think there’s probably more interest, especially on the Democrats' part, to make a show for trying to get a deal? Yeah," Mulvaney said during an interview with Maria Bartiromo Maria Sara BartiromoBiden's team says he views election against Trump as 'Park Avenue vs. Scranton' Ex-NFL player running for House as Republican blasts Democrats as 'narcissists and sociopaths' Cruz says he wouldn't accept Supreme Court nomination MORE at the Milken Institute's Global Conference in California.

"I hope conversations go well today, but if they don’t it would not surprise me," he continued.

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He added that he believes "there's a much better chance" of getting the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement — which has run into its own set of problems in Congress — passed than an infrastructure deal.

Mulvaney threw cold water on the prospects of coming to an agreement on bipartisan infrastructure legislation at the same time Trump sat down with Democratic leaders for negotiations at the White House. Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiHoyer: House should vote on COVID-19 aid — with or without a bipartisan deal Ruth Bader Ginsburg lies in repose at Supreme Court McCarthy threatens motion to oust Pelosi if she moves forward with impeachment MORE (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer Chuck SchumerCruz blocks amended resolution honoring Ginsburg over language about her dying wish Senate Democrats introduce legislation to probe politicization of pandemic response Schumer interrupted during live briefing by heckler: 'Stop lying to the people' MORE (D-N.Y.) were among the dozen Democrats to attend the meeting.

The acting chief of staff voiced concerns stemming from regulations that could lead to a lengthy process for implementing an infrastructure package. Mulvaney indicated that he had expressed reservations to Trump about the viability of an infrastructure deal bearing fruit before he left office.

"I explain infrastructure as a pipe, and you put money in one end of the pipe and then asphalt and bridges come out the other end of the pipe," he said. "Right now that pipe is 10 years long."

"And I’ve told the president several times, ‘Mr. President it doesn’t make a difference how much money you put in this end of the pipe … you won’t see a single lane of traffic, or road paved before end of your second term.' "

He said the breakdown in negotiations is unlikely to come due to fiscal concerns, but pointed to Republicans' preference for easing environmental regulations and other rules that lengthen the implementation process.

“Why go ahead and commit to an infrastructure deal now and say we’re going to spend $1 trillion on infrastructure, but we’re not going to change the environment in which it gets built?" he said. "And so now this trillion dollars doesn’t actually translate into something tangible for 10 years. That’s not acceptable to this president."

Mulvaney expressed physical discomfort as he sat down for the interview, and shared with the crowd that he's dealing with kidney stones.

"Was a fun night, but it’s better than going to the meeting with Chuck and Nancy at the White House," he said.