WASHINGTON (Nexstar) — President Biden will soon sign into law the bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure package Congress passed in recent days. It will help repair the nation’s crumbling roads and bridges along with expanding broadband access.
The infrastructure package will invest hundreds of billions of dollars to fight climate change. EPA Administrator Michael Regan said the investments are critical to help communites impacted by the effects of a warming climate.
“These are historic steps to put this country on the right track,” Regan said, adding they “are dedicated to clean energy, to our nation’s grid, to our nation’s infrastructure.”
The package invests an additional $66 billion in the nation’s rail system, $39 billion in public transportation and $65 billion to update the nation’s power grid to be smarter and cleaner.
At the climate conference in Glasgow, former President Barack Obama said the American economy will also benefit from this bill.
“Build out the first ever national network of charging stations, so families can travel across the US in electric vehicles,” Obama said, and would create “jobs manufacturing solar panels, and wind turbines, and batteries, and electric vehicles.”
Biden hopes Congress will pass his $1.7 trillion “Build Back Better” plan next, which would invest $550 billion in climate change mitigation.
Republicans oppose that plan. The GOP says it will make inflation worse. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said recent elections show Americans oppose Biden’s agenda.
“A Republican wave is underway and we stand by ready to lead,” McCarthy said.
Democrats hope their base will be re-invigorated if they can manage to pass both of Biden’s major packages.
