After weeks of debate and discussion, the White House and a bipartisan group of senators said on Wednesday that they had agreement on an infrastructure deal. It passed with a vote of 67 to 32 last night. The $1 trillion package is less than the $2.3 trillion plan that President Biden had proposed. There is $550 billion in new federal money for public transit, roads, bridges, water and other physical projects over the next five years, according to a White House fact sheet. Fact Sheet: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/07/28/fact-sheet-historic-bipartisan-infrastructure-deal/
The U.S. House passed a five-year $715 billion INVEST in America Act the first week in July. The bill included $343 billion in roads, bridges and safety investments, $109 billion in transit and $95 billion in passenger and freight rail investments. The $109 billion in transit investments, a 140 percent increase, includes:
- $40.5 billion: Urbanized and Rural Area Formula Grants
- $24 billion: State of Good Repair Grants
- $21.5 billion: Capital Investment Grants
- $11 billion: Bus and Bus Facilities, including over $4 billion for zero-emission buses
- $2 billion: Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities
- $1 billion: All Stations Accessibility Programs Grants (Americans with Disabilities Act Grants)
- $1 billion: Reducing Transit Deserts
- $416 million: Bus Frequency/Ridership Competitive Grants
- $134 million: Transit Supportive Communities
In the bipartisan deal, public transit would receive $39 billion in new funding, which would be used to repair aging infrastructure and modernize and expand transit service across the country. White House fact sheets tout this as largest federal investment in public transit in history. With regards to funding, the biggest funding source is $205 billion that the group says will come from “repurposing of certain Covid relief dollars.” The bill language has not yet been released.
Link to New York Times article: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/28/business/economy/infrastructure-deal-takeaways.html