On the evening of November 5 the House of Representatives passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill.
Passage of this historic legislation containing the largest physical infrastructure investment in decades is a major win for the country, and will create large numbers of jobs and deliver significant improvements for communities across the country, including ours.
This Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes funding for:
Rebuilding bridges and roads nationwide, including the largest investment in repairing and reconstructing our nation’s bridges since the construction of the interstate highway system seven decades ago, according to the Administration;
The largest investment in public transit in history, and the largest federal investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak, both according to the Administration. That includes federal funding for WMATA through FY2030 at current annual levels, $66 billion in passenger and freight rail including projects like Virginia’s Long Bridge project, and an estimated $1.2 billion over 5 years to improve public transportation in Virginia;
Action to address the climate crisis, including building out a national network of electric vehicle (EV) chargers to accelerate the adoption of EVs, a clean and resilient electric grid, and clean energy transmission infrastructure; and investments in zero-emission buses and replacing our yellow school bus fleet with healthier electric school buses;
The largest investment in clean drinking water and waste water infrastructure in U.S. history, according to the Administration, to benefit ten million families and more than 400,000 schools and child care facilities nationwide, replacing lead pipes and service lines across the U.S.; and directing $500 million to the coastal resilience fund I helped establish to help localities like Alexandria address flooding;
Helping clean up legacy pollution, a key step to advance environmental justice and keep communities healthier and safer;
And expanding access to reliable high-speed internet with broadband funding to help families get online to work and learn.
The bill passed on bipartisan votes in both House and Senate, and is expected to be signed by the President soon. The House also advanced the Build Back Better Act for floor consideration in the same vote series.
