This IS something GOOD that Joe Biden has gotten for America….
The money will impact a broad swath of America…
President Biden isn’t talking about it….
But CNN has a piece about it….
States and local communities are ramping up plans to spend the billions of dollars provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that passed last year.
The law, enacted about 100 days ago, will provide $550 billion for new federal infrastructure investments over the next five years. Roughly a fifth of the pot will be available in 2022 for a variety of projects, including roads, bridges, rail, water systems, airports, broadband and public transit.
Passed with bipartisan support, the law marks one of the biggest wins for President Joe Biden. The administration, as well as members of Congress, are eager to show off the bridges, roads and other projects the federal money will help build.
There is a massive backlog of infrastructure needs in the US awaiting funding, but it takes time to get projects off the ground. For the most part, money is still making its way to the states and local agencies for construction that could start in the spring.
The nation’s infrastructure system, which earned a C- score from the American Society of Civil Engineers last year, is in desperate need of money. About one-third of all bridges in the US need major repair work or replacement, according to a recent report from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association.
The collapse of a Pittsburgh bridge earlier this year — hours before Biden was scheduled to visit the city to tout the new law — has underscored the urgency.
How much money has gone out?
The White House said Wednesday that it has made about $100 billion available through a number of programs so far….
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When will Americans see shovels in the ground?
It’s mostly up to the states and local agencies to decide how and when to spend the money — within the guidelines spelled out by the law.
“This is not a right now kind of deal,” said Mitch Landrieu, a former New Orleans mayor who was tapped by Biden to oversee the implementation of the infrastructure law….