The Biden Administration has agreed upon an Infrastructure Deal, displaying an official Fact Sheet in a press release. Now, a 2,702 page Infrastructure bill totaling ~$1.2 Trillion.
What’s in the package? How will it be paid? Who supports it? Who doesn’t? What does this mean? To understand this, one must read through 2,702 pages and form an opinion towards its position. This is no easy task, especially for legislators.
What’s in the Package
A brief summary of what’s inside:
- $110 billion to fund new roads and bridges
- $73 billion to move from fossil fuels to clean energy and upgrade power infrastructure
- $66 billion to address deferred maintenance on Amtrak trains, expand service, and modernize rail service
- $65 billion to build reliable high-speed internet across America through broadband infrastructure | Starting this year, Elon Musk will use Starlink to provide high speed satellite internet access across the earth.
- $55 billion to replace lead pipes and service lines and provide clean drinking water across the country
- $50 billion for weather-proofing infrastructure and creating infrastructure that’s resilient to the impacts of climate change and cyber attacks
- $39 billion of new investment to modernize and improve public transit and and improve accessibility for the elderly and people with disabilities
- $25 billion for airports to address repair and maintenance backlogs, reduce congestion, and reduce carbon emissions
- $21 billion in environmental remediation to address legacy pollution like superfund sites, abandoned mines, and uncapped oil and gas wells
- $17 billion in port infrastructure
- $15 billion for electric vehicles, busses, and trucks and creating the infrastructure needed to charge them
- $11 billion towards a “Safe Streets for All” program which will work to reduce car crashes and fatalities and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists
How Biden Plans to Pay for it
- Redirecting $250 billion in COVID relief funds, including $50 billion previously intended to be used for federal unemployment relief
- Recouping $50 billion in fraudulent unemployment benefits paid out during the pandemic
- Saving $50 billion by delaying a Medicare rebate rule passed under former President Donald Trump
- Gaining $30 billion from strengthening tax reporting requirements and enforcement for cryptocurrency
- Gaining finances from increased growth from the infrastructure investments
Republican Support
The bill has gained support from 17 Republicans.
- Roy Blunt (Mo.)
- Richard Burr (N.C.)
- Shelly Moor Capito (W.V.)
- Bill Cassidy (La.)
- Susan Collins (Maine)
- Kevin Cramer (N.D.)
- Mike Crapo (Idaho)
- Lindsey Graham (S.C.)
- Chuck Grassley (Iowa)
- John Hoeven (N.D.)
- Mitch McConnell (Ky.)
- Lisa Murkowski (Alaska)
- Rob Portman (Ohio)
- Jim Risch (Idaho)
- Mitt Romney (Utah)
- Tom Tillis (N.C.)
- Todd Young (Ind.)
“I love this bill, the other I can’t stand,” proclaimed Senator Mitt Romney.
Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema stated “While I will support beginning this process, I do not support a bill that costs $3.5 trillion—and in the coming months, I will work in good faith to develop this legislation,”
Republican Resistance
Josh Hawley released a statement warning, “It’s not really about infrastructure at all. It’s about low politics, why is President Biden so enthusiastically for it because it advances his far left agenda. The Green New Deal elements of it across this bill to climate change agenda it’s stuffed into this bill quotas for this data together in this bill. So this is a bill but it’s about the woke political agenda of the left it is being paid for with this massive pork barrel spending and I just hope Republicans will open their eyes to what’s actually in the bill you know when you get a bill this like the process is 2700 plus pages long, sometimes it’s tempting not to actually look and see what’s in the bill. Folks should look and see what’s in this bill. I think it’s going to be awfully hard to explain to Republican voters that we have gone along or some Republicans have gone along with this kind of an agenda. This sort of a social agenda. This kind of the pork barrel spending. And so I think it’s absolutely vital that Republicans take a principled stand and say we’re not going to be part of Joe Biden’s left wing agenda, we’re not going to advance his woke political agenda. We’re going to stand up for the principles that we share believe in as Americans, we’re going to stand up for some basic fiscal responsibility. And for those reasons, we’re going to vote ‘no’ on this bill, Thanks for having me.”
https://twitter.com/i/events/1425082281669009413?s=20
On August 10th, 46 GOP Senators signed a letter opposing bipartisan cooperation with a “debt limit hike”, whether through a “stand-alone bill, a continuing resolution, or any other vehicle.”
Infrastructure Approval
After months of negotiations, the senate passed a 69 to 30 vote, approving the $1 trillion infrastructure bill primarily targeting infrastructure and climate change.
“This historic investment in infrastructure is what I believe you, the American people, want, what you’ve been asking for for a long, long time,” Biden said thanking the 17 Republicans for showing “a lot of courage.”
“I was proud to support today’s historic bipartisan infrastructure deal and prove that both sides of the political aisle can still come together around common-sense solutions.” Mitch McConnell deduced
Summary of American Debt
There is a reason the infrastructure bill was over 2,000 pages in length. Something intended to be read and reviewed would be short, concise, and in the benefit of the American people. To put this in perspective, the U.S. constitution was four pages long. Currently, America has incurred a large amount of debt totaling nearly $29 Trillion. The U.S. government relies fully on the American taxpayer to fund their operations, yet we are not the ones who get to choose exactly where that money goes. Why should the American population let the detached, disconnected ruling class enslave our nation’s workforce in order to pay for their radical budget experiments?
JMBK.NEWS 