Biden signs $1 Trillion infrastructure bill

From Transport Topics.

President Joe Biden signed his $1 trillion infrastructure deal into law Nov. 15 on the White House lawn, with a smattering of Republican lawmakers on hand for what could be one of the last shows of bipartisanship ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.

The president hopes to use the law to build back his popularity, which has taken a hit amid rising inflation and the inability to fully shake the public health and economic risks from COVID-19.

“My message to the American people is this: America is moving again and your life is going to change for the better,” Biden said.
With the bipartisan deal, the president had to choose between his promise of fostering national unity and a commitment to transformative change. The final measure whittled down much of his initial vision to invest in roads, bridges, water systems, broadband, ports, electric vehicles and the power grid. Yet the administration hopes to sell the new law as a success that bridged partisan divides and will elevate the country with clean drinking water, high-speed internet and a shift away from fossil fuels.

“Too often in Washington — the reason we don’t get things done is because we insist on getting everything we want,” Biden said in his prepared remarks. “With this law, we focused on getting things done. I ran for president because the only way to move our country forward is through compromise and consensus.”

Biden will get outside Washington to sell the plan more broadly in coming days.

He intends go to New Hampshire on Nov. 16 to visit a bridge on the state’s “red list” for repair, and he will go to Detroit on Nov. 17 for a stop at General Motors’ electric vehicle assembly plant, while other officials also fan out across the country. The president went to the Port of Baltimore last week to highlight how the supply chain investments from the law could limit inflation and strengthen supply chains, a key concern of voters who are dealing with higher prices.

See the complete article online at Transport Topics.