On Monday afternoon, President Biden signed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill into law, fulfilling the first step of his economic vision and agenda. The bipartisan-supported bill was passed by the Senate with a 69 to 30 vote, including 19 Republican senators, and recently passed by the House in a 228-206 vote, including support from 13 Republican representatives. Some Republicans supporting the measure have faced backlash and even death threats, but President Biden is optimistic that lawmakers could continue to work between parties to solve issues in Washington.
The plan will put $550 billion in new funds into America’s infrastructure over five years, including funding for roads, bridges, freight and passenger rail (including potential upgrades to Amtrak), airports, and ports and waterways. $55 billion will be put into improving water systems and replacing hazardous lead drinking pipes. It also includes a $65 billion cut for expanding broadband, a massive priority due to the millions of Americans forced to work at home without fast and consistent internet access because of COVID-19 quarantining. The package is expected to deliver benefits that will stimulate economic growth over time, including leaner supply chains, faster and more equitably distributed internet access, and improved educational outcomes for children who will no longer be exposed to lead-contaminated water that stunts brain development. “This is not designed to be stimulus. It’s designed to be the most strategic, effective investments so that we can continue to compete against China and other countries that are making bigger investments in their infrastructure,” says Cecilia Rouse, the Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers.
This bill is but the first part of President Biden’s two-part economic agenda, the second of which includes a $1.75 trillion social safety net and climate package, designed to invest in family care, address the climate crisis, and expand access to health care. Democrats had planned to pass both the infrastructure bill as well as the social safety net and climate package, but demands from centrists to see an estimate of the social spending plan’s budgetary effects brought about delays. The social safety net and climate package still faces an uncertain fate in Congress, but President Biden plans to further promote the plan in New Hampshire and Michigan later this week.
Questions:
Republican supporters of the infrastructure bill have faced major backlash from Americans. How do you think this will affect future conversation and cooperation between party lines in Washington?
How do you think this bill will directly impact Americans in their everyday lives?
Are there any other structural or general infrastructure issues that you think should have been included to be covered under this bill? Why or why not?
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/15/us/politics/biden-signs-infrastructure-bill.html
https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/15/politics/biden-signing-ceremony-infrastructure-bill-white-house/index.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/15/biden-signing-1-trillion-bipartisan-infrastructure-bill-into-law.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/05/house-passes-bipartisan-infrastructure-bill-sends-it-to-biden.html
8 comments:
Finally. This politics that happened as this bill was attempting to pass really revealed divisions in the democratic party and the backlash towards republican supporters is not unexpected but disappointing. I do think this bill had to be passed, but it is missing many of the vital reforms that it had several weeks ago. Furthermore, it should be noted that some democrats, most notably AOC, did not vot for this bill as a sort of protest against the reforms that were cut out. I am not very optimistic for a lot of bipartisan cooperation in the next few years from the trends that we have seen, but I hope that I am wrong. This bill will likely define Biden's presidency and it is disappointing that many ideas that he championed for are not going to be enacted.
I think this bill will greatly benefit the everyday lives of Americans. Everyone uses some form of transportation, the Internet, and water, so it's great that these things are being improved upon. However, I would have liked for this bill to address “human infrastructure," like health care and adapting to/combatting climate change because these are also very important issues that affect all Americans. However, I understand that including these divisive issues in the bill would make it even harder for it to be bipartisan. Like Lilly said, the growing polarization that has contributed to divisions within and between parties is making it increasingly difficult to pass large legislation like this infrastructure bill, so this was definitely a victory.
This infrastructure bill will absolutely affect the everyday lives of Americans. What stood out to me most was the bill replacing lead-contaminated drinking pipes. Of course, Americans will benefit from increased transportation and effective infrastructure, but stopping some people from consuming development-stunting water seems as though it should be highlighted. Also, I think the internet portion of this bill is very relevant given the world that the younger generation is growing up in. Covid really made it clear that people who do not have easy access to internet are at a disadvantage in the educational, and professional world. So helping make internet access more achievable for everyone is important as it seems as though it is quickly becoming a basic necessity for success.
Finally, the struggle to reach bipartisan agreement on this bill is frustrating. Although getting to this point made it clear that democrats and republicans find it hard to cooperate nine times out of ten, I still think that a bill with basic necessities and life-improving factors being so divisive is disappointing. Republicans who voted for the bill getting death threats is just evidence of how divisive politics is getting, as it is obviously infiltrating policy, law, and public well-being.
This infrastructure bill is only the start to fixing many of the issues that affect Americans' lives. This bill will have a great impact on the lives of Americans and will help further improve the quality of life. The bill also includes access to clean water, something which many people tend to overlook because it is very rare to find in the Bay Area. I believe that the cooperation between parties was a good part of getting the bill passed but also displayed how polarized the media and Americans have become. I am happy to see that both political parties have representatives that can agree on things. A big contributor to climate change is the pollution that we have not found a way to get rid of, making our carbon footprints still very impactful on the environment. I do believe that the government should continue to cut down on emissions as well as put more money into climate change as a whole. I know that there are people who believe in climate change, and others that don't, but data does prove that it is a real thing. This bill, although criticizing the bipartisan decision, will be a great way to improve infrastructure for years to come. However, the politics in this country are now in a toxic setting.
I agree with everyone so far that this infrastructure bill will greatly benefit the lives of the American people. I believe that many of the things in the infrastructure bill are completely undervalued when it comes to the impact on people's lives. Making improvements to the things that people have to use every single day such as roads, transportation, the internet, and drinking water can significantly help people and elevate some living standards. When it comes to the bipartisan passing of the bill, I agree that it is frustrating to see the extreme divisiveness of politics to the point that basic infrastructure needs are debated so hotly. It's absurd that the US considers itself one of the most advanced nations in the world yet some Republicans find it necessary to fight against the bill because it spends too much on things that may or may not be considered "infrastructure". Opposing legislation for the sake of opposing it emphasizes just how polarized politics have become. Until Washington can work together without fighting over every single thing and even the most unanimously supported ideas, bipartisanship, conflict, and political polarization will remain a major issue in our nation.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/04/08/why-debate-over-what-counts-infrastructure-probably-suits-biden-team-just-fine/
This bill will definitely impact everyday Americans as better road construction leads to a decrease in traffic and injuries. More than two out of every five miles of America’s urban interstates are in traffic, costing the country $160 billion in wasted time and fuel in 2014. In addition, according to the US Department of Transportation, the impact of highway crashes in 2003 was $230.6 billion, or 2.3% of the GDP.
I do think, however, that there must be more investment in school infrastructure. More than half of schools have inadequate structural facilities. For example, one-third of New York classrooms have no air conditioning, some children go to schools in trailers, and there is a lack of fast internet connection (even at Aragon). Disproportionately, people of color and low-income students are more likely to go to these schools.
In addition, waste management infrastructure has been neglected. Unlined lagoons located above aquifers have leaked toxic materials into the public water supply with hazardous waste mostly left in Native American tribal lands or in impoverished communities, according to Scientific American. The hazardous waste contains chemicals, heavy metals, radiation, dangerous pathogens, or other toxins, which is extremely detrimental to one’s health.
The water contamination in Flint, Michigan, is just one window into the failures of infrastructure and environmental quality that have threatened communities of color and poverty across the country for generations. Landfills, hazardous waste sites, and other industrial facilities are most often located in communities of color. A report titled “Toxic Waste and Race at Twenty” reviewed data collected over a 20-year time period and found that more than half of the people who live within 1.86 miles of toxic waste facilities in the United States are people of color.
I do believe that this bill will benefit most Americans. Especially with the bill’s focus on ensuring clean water, because this is a collective good, all of us will reap the benefits. However, I do agree with Lilly that this bill’s missing components go to show that Biden has a long road ahead in achieving the policies and issues he supported before being elected. As for the bill and its bipartisan cooperation, the reactions of those supporting the bill go to show how polarized American politics has become and its effect on our legislation. This backlash shown during the passing of the infrastructure bill highlights how today, voting has become increasingly less on policy, and instead, other factors such as image and pressure to conform to the party status-quo have become just as much of a factor for politicians. Because of this, the future in Washington could be less representative of what the people actually want.
I think it is slightly saddening to see how negatively many have reacted to a bipartisan measure being passed (increased polarization and even party hostility is visible in the response). On a brighter note, this bill passing is a great step forwards, and it will have an impact on various different areas in the U.S. Improving airways, roads, water systems, and other developments will positively influence travel time, it could increase efficiency for both individuals and businesses, it boosts safety and health (highlighting it as a priority and focal area for change to be applied), all of which can improve overall quality of life and access to various necessities nationwide. This is the goal, so hopefully the proposed benefits do indeed come with the implementation of these improvements. I think that an addition to this bill or a future bill should be allocating funds to create schools in underserved areas, expanding educational opportunities. Alongside infrastructure changes, focusing on other issues present in the nation, and working to build equity of opportunity should be a priority. Investing in education will benefit people both in the present and provide the groundwork for a better future. Ultimately, seeing this bill pass is exciting, and hopefully the bipartisan efforts can continue yielding positive legislation.
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