{"id":611189,"date":"2021-08-04T14:35:37","date_gmt":"2021-08-04T18:35:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=611189"},"modified":"2021-08-04T14:35:44","modified_gmt":"2021-08-04T18:35:44","slug":"a-historic-investment-heres-whats-in-the-bipartisan-infrastructure-package","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-historic-investment-heres-whats-in-the-bipartisan-infrastructure-package\/","title":{"rendered":"A \u2018Historic Investment\u2019: Here\u2019s What\u2019s In The Bipartisan Infrastructure Package"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fa-historic-investment-heres-whats-in-the-bipartisan-infrastructure-package%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=611189&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Following months of negotiation, a bipartisan group of 20 senators introduced their $1.2 trillion infrastructure package Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epw.senate.gov\/public\/_cache\/files\/e\/a\/ea1eb2e4-56bd-45f1-a260-9d6ee951bc96\/F8A7C77D69BE09151F210EB4DFE872CD.edw21a09.pdf\">Act<\/a> tallies 2,702 pages, and was <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/08\/02\/senators-introduce-infrastructure-bill-kyrsten-sinema-rob-portman-chuck-schumer-mike-lee\/\">described<\/a> by lead negotiator Democratic Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema as a \u201chistoric investment in infrastructure.\u201d The package includes $550 billion in new spending, with the rest redirecting spending that was already authorized by Congress.<\/p>\n<p>Large portions of the redirected spending come from unused dollars allocated by the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and other COVID-19 pandemic relief measures. At least $3 billion will come from unspent airline aid, Roll Call <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollcall.com\/2021\/08\/04\/infrastructure-bill-senate\/\">reported<\/a>. Unspent unemployment benefits will cover $53 billion, $30 billion will come from unspent small business loans, and $353 million will come from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/08\/02\/us\/how-to-pay-for-infrastructure.html\">according<\/a> to The New York Times.<\/p>\n<p>The bill <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/07\/28\/bipartisan-infrastructure-bill-advances-senate-chuck-schumer-rob-portman\/\">cleared<\/a> a filibuster July 28, before it had been formally introduced, with 17 Republicans joining all 50 Democrats in voting in favor of beginning debate. However, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act still has a long way to go to become law. Left-wing Democrats in the House of Representatives, supported by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, are <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/08\/01\/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-progressives-kyrsten-sinema-infrastructure\/\">threatening<\/a> to tank the agreement if Senate Democrats do not pass a $3.5 trillion reconciliation package.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what\u2019s in the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Amtrak<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Amtrak will receive $32 billion for operations between the years 2022-2026, and $58 billion total. The state-owned corporation is a favorite of President Joe Biden, who was <a href=\"https:\/\/railway-news.com\/how-did-president-elect-biden-get-the-nickname-amtrak-joe\/\">nicknamed<\/a> \u201cAmtrak Joe\u201d for his habit of riding the train to work every day from his home in Wilmington, Delaware, when he was a senator. Biden\u2019s son Hunter Biden was <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2019\/10\/16\/report-hunter-biden-few-qualifications-amtrak-board-ukrainian-gas\/\">appointed<\/a> to the Amtrak Board of Directors in 2006, with Joe Biden\u2019s fellow Democratic Delaware Sen. Tom Carper describing Hunter\u2019s main qualification as \u201cusing Amtrak to commute to his job in Washington, D.C.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7252779\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"37\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7252779\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7252779\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/biden-amtrak-scaled-1.jpg\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/biden-amtrak-scaled-1.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/biden-amtrak-180x120.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/biden-amtrak-620x413-1.jpg 620w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/biden-amtrak-768x512-1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/biden-amtrak-1536x1024-1.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/biden-amtrak-2048x1366-1.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-7252779\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">ALLIANCE, OHIO \u2013 SEPTEMBER 30: Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden speaks during a campaign stop at the Alliance Amtrak Station September 30, 2020 in Alliance, Ohio. (Photo by Alex Wong\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Amtrak <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/03\/10\/american-rescue-plan-joe-biden-whats-in-it\/\">received<\/a> $1.7 billion from the ARP, which <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/03\/11\/joe-biden-signs-american-rescue-plan\/\">passed<\/a> in March. Before the bailout money, it was $1.6 billion in debt.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Breathalyzers<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Although no money is attached to this provision, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act requires the secretary of transportation to issue a standard \u201cthat requires passenger motor vehicles manufactured after the effective date of such standard to be equipped with advanced drunk driving prevention technology.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" readability=\"6.6233766233766\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">All new cars will have to be equipped with a breathalyzer, h\/t <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/creek_ghost?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@creek_ghost<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0thSmSE0qF\">pic.twitter.com\/0thSmSE0qF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Oilfield Rando (@Oilfield_Rando) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Oilfield_Rando\/status\/1422029024860286976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 2, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The secretary of transportation will be required to \u201cwork directly with manufacturers of passenger motor vehicles, suppliers, safety advocates, and other interested parties\u201d to develop the breathalyzers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Diversity Recruitment<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Department of Transportation will receive $20 million from 2023-2026 to increase \u201cawareness of career opportunities in the transportation sector\u201d and \u201cdiversity, including race, gender, ethnicity, veteran status, and socioeconomic status, of professionals in the transportation sector.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>American trucking companies are plagued by driver shortages. Up to 25% of tank trucks did not have drivers in May, helping feed gas price increases, Fox News <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/markets\/truck-driver-shortage-fuel-gas-prices-rise-summer-travel-vacation-energy\">reported<\/a> at the time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Miles-Driven Tax Pilot Program<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This provision would allow the secretary of transportation to \u201c<span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">establish a pilot program to demonstrate <\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">a national motor vehicle per-mile user fee.\u201d The Department of Transportation would recruit volunteers for the pilot program, with a focus on geographic and racial equity. The revenue from the tax would go into the Highway Trust Fund, which is currently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.taxpolicycenter.org\/briefing-book\/what-highway-trust-fund-and-how-it-financed\">financed<\/a> by federal gas taxes but facing insolvency.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/03\/26\/pete-buttigieg-vehicle-mileage-tax\/\">floated<\/a> a miles-driven tax in a March appearance on CNBC. He later <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/03\/29\/joe-biden-jake-tapper-pete-buttigieg\/\">told<\/a> CNN\u2019s Jake Tapper that the tax was \u201cnot part of the conversation\u201d surrounding the infrastructure package, since the Biden administration would not increase taxes on people making less than $400,000 a year.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Highway Tear-downs<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The bill allocates up to $1 billion for highway tear-downs, an equity provision for which Biden originally <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/06\/21\/joe-biden-infrastructure-roads-bridges-highway\/\">requested<\/a> $20 billion. Urban planners and transportation experts argue that removing and relaying 50-60- year-old highways will benefit inner city economies, while activists claim that tear-downs will benefit underprivileged minority groups that were harmed by the original construction. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/06\/28\/joe-biden-highway-tear-down-racial-equity-new-orleans-syracuse-new-york\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: Democrats Want To Tear Down Highways\u2026 To Solve Historic Racism?)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Local Block Grants<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Key senators who negotiated the agreement will receive billions of dollars for their states. The Department of Transportation will fund \u201c<span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">necessary reconstruction<\/span>\u201d of the Alaska <a href=\"https:\/\/alaska-highway.org\/\">Highway<\/a>, a 1,387 mile-long road first built in World War II. The legislation provides for \u201ca<span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">n applicable competitive grant program.\u201d Republican Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski was part of the bipartisan group that negotiated the package.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Fifty billion dollars would also be allocated to the Central Utah Project Completion Account, which funds the Central Utah Project, a water resources development <a href=\"https:\/\/www.doi.gov\/cupcao\/Overview\">program<\/a>. First created by Congress in 1992, the Central Utah Project is intended to divert the Colorado River for farm irrigation and municipal water usage. Republican Utah Sen. Mitt Romney also negotiated the package.<\/p>\n<p>The bill allocates $1 billion to the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), an independent federal agency that operates in West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky and ten other states. The ARC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arc.gov\/\">describes<\/a> its mission as \u201cinnovat[ing], partner[ing], and invest[ing] to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and Republican Ohio Sen. Rob Portman were members of the bipartisan group, and Manchin\u2019s wife Gayle <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arc.gov\/news\/gayle-conelly-manchin-sworn-in-as-thirteenth-arc-federal-co-chair\/\">serves<\/a> as a federal co-chair for the ARC. Republican West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito previously negotiated directly with Biden on infrastructure, and Republican Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell has expressed support for the package.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Following months of negotiation, a bipartisan group of 20 senators introduced their $1.2 trillion infrastructure package Sunday.The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act tallies 2,702 pages, and was described by lead &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-611189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=611189"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611189\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=611189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=611189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=611189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}