The infrastructure plan Joe Biden just is heavy on high-speed rail, transit, biking and other items that Barack Obama championed during his presidency — along with a complete lack of specifics on how he plans to pay for it
The infrastructure plan Joe Biden released Thursday morning is heavy on high-speed rail, transit, biking and other items that Barack Obama championed during his presidency — along with a complete lack of specifics on how he plans to pay for it all.
It also differs significantly from President Donald Trump's , which relies heavily on private-sector investment and about $200 billion in direct federal funds that he proposes be offset by spending cuts in other areas.Attention to biking, walking and transit Like Obama, Biden promises to invest in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and build “complete streets“ that are safe for a variety of transportation modes. Biden also wants to spend $10 billion over 10 years on transit projects in high-poverty areas — an echo of the Obama DOT’s Ladders of Opportunity, a program devoted to using transportation as an engine of social equity.Biden is still a believer in a coast-to-coast, high-speed rail network, despite seeing Obama‘s ambitious “vision” for a nationwide, high-speed rail network sputter: Florida and Wisconsin rejected federal high-speed rail grants; and California’s high-speed rail program has become a political punching bag and a money pit. Biden’s plan aims to cut travel time between Washington, D.C., and New York City by half, rebuild the Hudson River Tunnel, expand the Northeast Corridor southward, keep plugging away in California and jump-start high-speed rail networks in the Midwest and West.$3.5 billion a year for two discretionary transportation grant programs created by the Obama administration, and he wouldn’t stop there. He also proposes a new $40 billion, 10-year “Transformational Projects Fund” for large and complex projects, grants for cities building electric vehicle charging infrastructure and planning for a future with driverless cars, grants for airport renovations and funding for neighborhoods where highways have cut people off from jobs and amenities.Transportation funding traditionally flows through state DOTs, but Biden’s plan is dotted with references about direct federal funding for cities — a subtle signal to urbanists and sustainability advocates that, like Obama’s DOT, Biden would bypass state highway middlemen to work on distinctly urban projects like light rail, bike lanes and walking routes to school.Biden wants to spend $1.3 trillion on infrastructure but will only say he’ll “ensure new revenues are secured” to pay for it. The vague rhetoric brings back bitter memories of former DOT secretaries under Obama, Ray LaHood and Anthony Foxx, repeating over and over that they “look forward to working with Congress” to identify pay-fors — while behind the scenes putting the kibosh on a gas tax proposal in the House. Obama eventually supported paying for transportation by taxing overseas corporate profits, but not until the end of his administration, mere months before the vehicle by which to make such a change was enacted, making it far too late to influence much of the debate.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Diplomat testifies EU ambassador said Trump's interest in Ukraine was 'investigations of Biden'The top US diplomat in Ukraine, Bill Taylor, on Wednesday revealed new information in his opening statement, testifying at the first House impeachment hearing that his staff was told the President's interest in Ukraine was the 'investigations of Biden.'
Read more »
Mysterious Entity Emerges From Ether to Endorse Joe BidenFormer candidate “Tim” “Ryan” endorsed the former vice-president during an appearance on Morning Joe.
Read more »
Democrat Joe Biden proposes $1.3 trillion U.S. infrastructure planDemocrat Joe Biden would invest $1.3 trillion over a decade on electric car char...
Read more »
Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are ahead of Donald Trump in Georgia: PollPete Buttigieg and Kamala Harris also had leads over the president, within the poll's margin of error.
Read more »
Joe Biden Proposes $1.3 Trillion Infrastructure PlanFormer Vice President Joe Biden is proposing a $1.3 trillion plan over the next decade to revitalize the nation’s aging network of roads, highways and bridges, promote high-speed rail and fund other major projects.
Read more »