It's finally Infrastructure Week in Washington, D.C.! But Biden knows it really begins when there are "shovels in the ground."
November 6, 2021

*The above video is a compilation of the beginning and end of Biden's speech to reporters.*

Pres. Joe Biden and the Democrats have a lot to celebrate this week, with last night's House of Representatives passage of his Bipartisan Infrastructure bill. He greeted the press this morning with smiles and a wry, "Infrastructure Week! I'm so happy to say that..."

Indeed! As he should be. Many journalists and politicians are pointing out that Biden's accomplished in a mere nine months what The Former Guy promised (yet didn't lift a finger to actually do) in four years: passing legislation which meaningfully invests in the physical health of this nation. According to The White House, the bill will:

  • Deliver clean water to all American families and eliminate the nation’s lead service lines.
  • Ensure every American has access to reliable high-speed internet.
  • Repair and rebuild our roads and bridges with a focus on climate change mitigation, resilience, equity, and safety for all users.
  • Improve transportation options for millions of Americans and reduce greenhouse emissions through the largest investment in public transit in U.S. history.
  • Upgrade our nation’s airports and ports to strengthen our supply chains and prevent disruptions that have caused inflation. This will improve U.S. competitiveness, create more and better jobs at these hubs, and reduce emissions.
  • Make the largest investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak.
  • Build a national network of electric vehicle (EV) chargers.
  • Upgrade our power infrastructure to deliver clean, reliable energy across the country and deploy cutting-edge energy technology to achieve a zero-emissions future.
  • Make our infrastructure resilient against the impacts of climate change, cyber-attacks, and extreme weather events.
  • Deliver the largest investment in tackling legacy pollution in American history by cleaning up Superfund and brownfield sites, reclaiming abandoned mines, and capping orphaned oil and gas wells.

Here's how the money breaks down:

Biden thanked Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Democrats, and Republicans (thirteen House Republicans voted for the bill) for their hard work and compromise in getting this done. He insisted that the success is evidence that Democrats have received any message voters might have sent on Tuesday that they want Democrats to deliver. Well, yesterday, late into the night, Democrats delivered, and Biden correctly is proud.

He also, however, correctly acknowledges there is much more work to do, and informed everyone that in addition to the BIF, they also passed the next procedural step to get the Human Infrastructure bill (the Build Back Better Act) moving. Enjoy the accomplishment, and don't drop the ball.

And whatever we do, don't let any but the people who voted NO on this bill take credit for it.

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