{"id":994170,"date":"2021-11-10T11:44:41","date_gmt":"2021-11-10T16:44:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=994170"},"modified":"2021-11-10T11:44:46","modified_gmt":"2021-11-10T16:44:46","slug":"where-does-all-that-money-go-breaking-down-bidens-trillion-dollar-infrastructure-package","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/where-does-all-that-money-go-breaking-down-bidens-trillion-dollar-infrastructure-package\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Does All That Money Go? Breaking Down Biden\u2019s Trillion Dollar 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\">26<\/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%2Fwhere-does-all-that-money-go-breaking-down-bidens-trillion-dollar-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=994170&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>President Joe Biden achieved one of his first substantive legislative victories when Congress <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/senate-passes-1-2-trillion-infrastructure-bill\">passed<\/a> his $1.2 trillion infrastructure package. While the Biden administration sold the \u201cbipartisan infrastructure bill\u201d on the promise of building new roads and bridges, the bill also contains highly ideological provisions preparing for roads and bridges to be torn down, increasing commute times, attempting to herd drivers onto public transportation, allowing Washington to dictate environmental policy to each of the 50 states, and giving high-speed internet access to prisoners.<\/p>\n<p>Here are the facts you need to know.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the bipartisan infrastructure bill? How is it related to the \u201chuman infrastructure\u201d plan?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The \u201cInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act\u201d&nbsp;(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/117th-congress\/house-bill\/3684\/text\">H.R. 3684<\/a>) is popularly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework (or \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wmXnqnFZEFY\">BIF<\/a>,\u201d for short). The bill became part of a pitched process battle, as President Joe Biden brought together a team of centrist Republicans and less partisan Democrats to negotiate the bill\u2019s contents \u2014 then publicly announcing it had to be passed \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/clarified-media-let-biden-get-by-with-lying-about-infrastructure-veto-threat\">in tandem<\/a>\u201d with the then-$3.5 trillion \u201cBuild Back Better\u201d Act, which some supporters referred to as a \u201chuman infrastructure\u201d bill and which radically expands social welfare programs. \u201cIf only one comes to me, this is the only one that comes to me, I\u2019m not signing it,\u201d he vowed.<\/p>\n<p>To the disappointment of congressional progressives, the president ultimately backed down and decoupled the bills. The Senate passed the bipartisan infrastructure bill on August 10 by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.senate.gov\/legislative\/LIS\/roll_call_lists\/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=117&amp;session=1&amp;vote=00314\">69-30 vote<\/a>, supported by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2021\/08\/10\/1026486578\/senate-republican-votes-infrastructure-bill\">19 Republicans<\/a>. The House of Representatives approved the legislation <a href=\"https:\/\/clerk.house.gov\/Votes\/2021369?Page=1\">228-206<\/a> on November 5: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/politics\/meet-13-republicans-voted-for-infrastructure-bill\">13 Republicans<\/a> voted in favor of the bill, while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/news\/house-passes-1-trillion-infrastructure-bill-amid-wrangling-over-reconciliation-package\/\">six far-Left Democrats<\/a> voted against the bill, which is more than 2,700 pages long, due to lingering bitterness about the social spending plan. Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2021\/11\/05\/house-passes-bipartisan-infrastructure-bill-sends-it-to-biden.html\">said<\/a> that the infrastructure vote took place in exchange for a commitment to vote on the \u201cBuild Back Better\u201d act, which now contains $1.75 trillion in social spending, \u201cno later than the week of November 15.\u201d The infrastructure bill now goes to President Biden for his signature<\/p>\n<p><strong>How much money does the bipartisan infrastructure bill spend on roads and bridges?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, or BIF, totals $1.2 trillion in spending on traditional infrastructure, as well as broadband internet access and a number of green energy proposals.<\/p>\n<p>Although this legacy media describe this bill as a boon for \u201croads and bridges,\u201d only approximately 10% of the bill \u2014 $110 billion \u2014 goes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Joe Biden achieved one of his first substantive legislative victories when Congress passed his $1.2 trillion infrastructure package. While the Biden administration sold the \u201cbipartisan infrastructure bill\u201d on the promise of building new roads and bridges, the bill also contains highly ideological provisions preparing for roads and bridges to be torn down, increasing commute times, attempting to herd drivers onto public transportation, allowing Washington to dictate environmental policy to each of the 50 states, and giving high-speed internet access to prisoners.Here are the facts you need to know.What is the bipartisan infrastructure bill? How is it related to the \u201chuman infrastructure\u201d plan?The \u201cInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act\u201d\u00a0(H.R. 3684) is popularly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework (or \u201cBIF,\u201d for short). The bill became part of a pitched process battle, as President Joe Biden brought together a team of centrist Republicans and less partisan Democrats to negotiate the bill\u2019s contents \u2014 then publicly announcing it had to be passed \u201cin tandem\u201d with the then-$3.5 trillion \u201cBuild Back Better\u201d Act, which some supporters referred to as a \u201chuman infrastructure\u201d bill and which radically expands social welfare programs. \u201cIf only one comes to me, this is the only one that comes to me, I\u2019m not signing it,\u201d he vowed.To the disappointment of congressional progressives, the president ultimately backed down and decoupled the bills. The Senate passed the bipartisan infrastructure bill on August 10 by a 69-30 vote, supported by 19 Republicans. The House of Representatives approved the legislation 228-206 on November 5: 13 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while six far-Left Democrats voted against the bill, which is more than 2,700 pages long, due to lingering bitterness about the social spending plan. Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) said that the infrastructure vote took place in exchange for a commitment to vote on the \u201cBuild Back Better\u201d act, which now contains $1.75 trillion in social spending, \u201cno later than the week of November 15.\u201d The infrastructure bill now goes to President Biden for his signatureHow much money does the bipartisan infrastructure bill spend on roads and bridges?The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, or BIF, totals $1.2 trillion in spending on traditional infrastructure, as well as broadband internet access and a number of green energy proposals.Although this legacy media describe this bill as a boon for \u201croads and bridges,\u201d only approximately 10% of the bill \u2014 $110 billion \u2014 goes to roads and bridges. The White House says the $40 billion of that total designated specifically for bridges \u201cis the single largest dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the interstate highway system\u201d by the Eisenhower administration. The bill spends another $42 billion for airports and seaports, and $55 billion on fixing water pipes.Does the bipartisan infrastructure bill spend money preparing for the destruction of existing highways based on racial concerns?Yes. The infrastructure bill spends half a billion dollars to study and prepare the process of destroying roads and highways allegedly constructed as part of America\u2019s purported legacy of systemic racism. The \u201creconnecting communities pilot program\u201d frees up money to study \u201cremoving, retrofitting, or mitigating an existing\u201d roads or railways. This is a small version of the \u201cReconnecting Communities Act\u201d introduced by Democrats earlier this year. Allegedly, America\u2019s highways divide minority communities. \u201cIn many communities of color, nearby highways continue to represent real barriers for getting around and getting ahead,\u201d said Senator Tom Carper (D-DE). Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said it is necessary to rip up existing highways, in order \u201cto help right these wrongs by identifying and removing these hulking physical barriers to mobility and opportunity.\u201dHow does the infrastructure bill punish people who drive their own car?The infrastructure bill establishes a \u201ccongestion relief program,\u201d which encourages cities and municipalities to charge cars for traveling into city limits during peak hours, collect tolls from drivers, and hike the cost of parking in the city. The bill says the program will fund a state or local \u201cproject or strategy that is designed to support congestion pricing, shifting transportation demand to nonpeak hours or other transportation modes, increasing vehicle occupancy rates, or otherwise reducing demand for roads, including electronic toll collection, and travel demand management strategies and program.\u201dThe bill also encourages cities to lengthen drivers\u2019 commute times. Its \u201chighway safety improvement program\u201d encourages the \u201c[c]onstruction or installation of features, measures, and road designs to calm traffic and reduce vehicle speeds.\u201d (Emphasis added.) Reducing speeds means more time on the road (and more carbon emissions), as well as making it more difficult for commuters to live in less expensive suburbs or rural areas outside the city.How does the infrastructure bill treat public transportation?The infrastructure bill spends $39 billion for public transportation, which the White House boasts is \u201cthe largest federal investment in public transit ever.\u201dPerhaps unsurprisingly given this president\u2019s history, the bill also spends another $66 billion on rail transit, much of it for Amtrak, marking the largest funding boost since its founding. The Wall Street Journal reports that the bill will fundamentally \u201calter Amtrak\u2019s stated mission to focus on \u2018the intercity passenger rail needs of the United States,\u2019 rather than turning a profit or at least breaking even, something the system hasn\u2019t done since its creation in 1971.\u201dHow does the bipartisan infrastructure bill affect climate policy? The bipartisan infrastructure bill lets the federal government dictate states\u2019 carbon reduction policies from Washington. Section 11403 of the bill requires states to adopt a \u201ccarbon reduction strategy,\u201d which the federal government must approve, and which must be updated at least every four years. If the plan does not meet the administration\u2019s expectations, the administration will refuse to certify the state\u2019s strategy and \u201cspecify the actions necessary for the [s]tate to take to correct the deficiencies in the process of the [s]tate in developing the carbon reduction strategy.\u201dIt also includes $15 billion for green energy programs: $7.5 billion for electric chargers for e-vehicles and another $7.5 billion for zero- or low-emission public buses and ferries. Its $65 billion to strengthen the U.S. energy grid also contains billions for green energy.How does the bipartisan infrastructure bill further the Left\u2019s goal of \u201cequity\u201d?The word \u201cequity\u201d occurs in the bipartisan infrastructure bill 70 times. For instance, the bill declares that \u201cachieving digital equity is a matter of social and economic justice and is worth pursuing.\u201dPerhaps its most outlandish equity provision would attempt to establish \u201cenvironmental justice\u201d \u2014 specifically, tree justice. The bill sets aside money for \u201c[c]onducting an equity assessment by mapping tree canopy gaps, flood-prone locations, and urban heat island hot spots.\u201dDoes the infrastructure bill really give broadband access and internet training to prisoners?Yes. The bill says it aims to reduce \u201cwealth and income gaps\u201d by paying for \u201ctraining programs for covered populations that cover basic, advanced, and applied skills.\u201d But it specifies that, aside from minorities and \u201caging individuals\u201d (an inadvertently universal euphemism for the elderly), the term \u201ccovered populations\u201d includes \u201cincarcerated individuals, other than individuals who are incarcerated in a [f]ederal correctional facility.\u201dWhat other provisions does the bipartisan infrastructure bill have for the internet?To facilitate the expansion of broadband internet in rural areas, \u201c[t]he Digital Equity Act also specifies entities to oversee the distribution of funds, including the Appalachian Regional Commission, which is co-chaired by Manchin\u2019s wife, Gayle Manchin.\u201dThe bill establishes a permanent subsidy for people making up to 135% of the poverty level ($35,775 for a family of four) to access the internet. The federal government paid approximately 4 million families $50 a month to use toward their internet bill during the COVID-19 pandemic. This bill changes the name of the \u201cEmergency Broadband Benefit\u201d to \u201cAffordable Connectivity,\u201d showing that this \u201ctemporary\u201d COVID-19 measure will become a permanent fixture in the nation\u2019s budget. The bill makes low-income families eligible for $30 a month in federal handouts toward their internet service, plus $100 for equipment. There is no requirement the internet be used exclusively or primarily for school or work; approximately 30% of all internet traffic is related to pornography.In all, the bill spends $65 billion to expand broadband internet access. The Cato Institute points out that the White House vastly overstated the number of Americans (and other U.S. residents) who lack broadband internet access:According to the White House, which originally proposed this spending, \u201cmore than 30 million Americans live in areas where there is no broadband infrastructure.\u201d But according to the\u00a0Federal Communications Commission, only 21 million Americans \u201clacked access to fixed terrestrial\u201d broadband in 2019, and all of those Americans had access to satellite broadband if they wanted it. The main beneficiaries of this $65 billion will be broadband companies and\u00a0high\u2010\u200bincome exurbanites.Are there any improvements to federal regulations?Yes. The bill codifies President Donald Trump\u2019s \u201cOne Federal Decision\u201d policy, which requires one federal agency to become the lead point of contact in any major infrastructure project, seeing the project through the complicated environmental approval process. The policy also required decisions to be made within two years, although the bill allows this to be stretched to three years.How is it paid for?Much of it is not. The existing funding comes from other payments Congress had allocated but never spent, such as states that opted not to pay an additional $300 a week in unemployment benefits. That money, which would have been returned to the Treasury, is now being spent on this bill. The bill would also sell off oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and squeeze people involved in cryptocurrency. The Heritage Foundation notes:Another gimmick, known as \u201cinterest rate stabilization\u201d (or \u201cpension smoothing\u201d) would allow corporations to reduce pension contributions and increase their profit margins, leading to more revenue from the corporate income tax. This would shortchange the pension funds by roughly $9 billion for the sake of less than $3 billion in additional tax revenue.What effect would the bipartisan infrastructure bill have on the national debt?\u201cOn net, the legislation would add $256 billion to projected deficits\u201d between 2021 and 2031, according to the Congressional Budget Office. But \u201cthat doesn\u2019t count a $118 billion bailout of the Highway Trust Fund,\u201d notes\u00a0Heritage Foundation scholar David Ditch. \u201cThat means the bill would actually add at least $2,900 per household to the national debt.\u201dThe views expressed in this piece are the author\u2019s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a\u00a0member.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":76,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-994170","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\/994170","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\/76"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=994170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/994170\/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=994170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=994170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=994170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}