You may have seen in the news that President Joe Biden just signed a massive bill designed to boost America’s infrastructure. Although this may seem like just another bill that somehow made it through all the branches of the federal government, a closer look at the details of this bill and what it means for the United States will reveal that it is anything but “just another bill”.
Let’s start with the basics. On Monday, November 15, 2021, President Biden signed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill into law. The goal of the bill is to improve the physical infrastructure of the United States. There are 4 main areas to which this bill allocates funds.
#1. Transportation Infrastructure
The first category dedicates $621 billion to building up the transportation infrastructure of the United States. Included in the umbrella of transportation infrastructure is promoting the usage of electric vehicles, fixing roads and bridges, upgrading airports, improving traffic patterns, and creating more modern and environmentally friendly public transit.
#2. Quality of Home Life
Secondly, the bill allocates $650 billion to improve the home lives of Americans. This is an extremely broad category, ranging from family resources to education. However, some of the most important sub-sections are building and upgrading schools, public housing projects, water infrastructure, electric grid improvements, and retrofitting various homes and commercial properties.
#3. Caregiving for Elderly and Disabled People
In the next section of the President’s bill, $400 billion are allotted towards the improvement of care for elderly and disabled people. This section doesn’t have many specific subsections, but the president noted that it will be used to adequately pay and provide resources for people who need such medical care.
#4. Development
Finally, approximately $300 billion will go towards improving manufacturing. This includes research into more environmentally friendly technology. This section of the bill is focused on remedying many of the issues caused by climate change. The subsections of this portion of the bill include supporting domestic manufacturing, creating technology that addresses climate change, shifting towards using clean energy for manufacturing, and protecting workers.
It is important to note that these are only major sections included in this recently passed bill. There are a huge number of programs and elements of the country’s infrastructure involved in this piece of legislation. It seeks to improve everything from equitable water access to treatment for alcohol and drug addiction.
So what does this mean for the United States? For starters, the funds will roll out over a 5 year period and it will likely be at least a handful of months before any projects begin. Additionally, this bill marks a period of bipartisanship that has been rare in politics over the last few years. The bill received support from both Democrats and Republicans alike. Both parties see the bill as an opportunity to improve the economy and the lives of Americans in the wake of the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This historic bill is years in the making. After decades of propositions, negotiations, and disagreements, this piece of legislation has been called “once-in-a-generation” It has the potential to create huge positive change all across the nation.
Sources:
American Society of Civil Engineers, Congress Passes Historic Infrastructure Bill
USA Today, Joe Biden wants to spend $2 trillion on infrastructure and jobs
Congress, H.R.3684 – Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
CNBC, Biden signs $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill into law
Associated Press, Biden signs $1T infrastructure deal with bipartisan crowd