President, Republicans, Continue To Lob Infrastructure Proposals Back And Forth

As Connecting the Dots has reported over the last two months, President Joe Biden and Senate Republicans each have released their outlines for a federal infrastructure spending bill. Last week, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives added their own plan. The proposal calls for $400 billion in funding for transportation infrastructure over five years, reducing or streamlining federal regulations that can lengthen the timeline for building infrastructure and emphasizing investment in rural areas.

A full summary of the proposed bill is here. Highlights include:

• Reauthorization of a discretionary grant program that promotes nationally and regionally significant infrastructure projects that improve freight movement efficiency;
• New funding for multi-modal projects that encourage the economic viability of the country, a region, or a metro area;
• An increase in investments in infrastructure improvements that strengthen economic competitiveness, reduce congestion, improve reliability, and increase productivity;
• Funding for a competitive grant program that focuses on large bridges;
• A short-term infusion of funding to address prior underinvestment and help bring the nation’s off-system bridges into a state of good repair;
• Limiting the time required for environmental reviews;
• A requirement that federal agencies develop a single permitting timetable for environmental review and authorization decision;
• Expansion of exemptions from Clean Water Act permitting for routine maintenance;
• Creating a new program to improve access to healthcare facilities for medically underserved areas or populations with limited transportation options;
• Increases flexibility and reducing regulatory burdens by allowing the secretary of Transportation to provide regulatory waivers, deferrals, or establish a simplified compliance process for very small transit agencies or transit agencies that receive funds under two programs;
• Establishing a rigorous apprenticeship program to train commercial driver’s license drivers between the ages of 18 and 20 and allowing these individuals to drive in interstate commerce; and
• Establishing a national advisory board to coordinate broader testing and the study of a per-mile road usage charge.

Then, on Friday, May 20, President Biden released a revised infrastructure proposal. The new $1.7 trillion plan is about $550 billion smaller than the president’s original infrastructure proposal. The White House achieved the smaller price tag by cutting recommended spending levels for broadband, roads, bridges, and other major infrastructure projects. Republicans rejected the counteroffer almost immediately.

According to USA Today, “A spokeswoman for Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., who is leading Republican talks with the Biden administration, said the proposal is still ‘above the range of what can pass Congress with bipartisan support.’”

Sen. Moore Capito and her fellow Republicans are expected to release a revised proposal of their own in the coming days.