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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana would land nearly $7.9 billion in federal dollars for highways, public transit, broadband and more under the U.S. Senate’s current version of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which could come to a vote as early as this weekend.
The $550 billion proposal has survived weeks of partisan back-and-forth and technical glitches. Senators have tempered news of negotiating breakthroughs with reports of more setbacks. But, if successful, the measure would combine with $450 million in already approved spending to create a $1 trillion infrastructure package.
Based on a funding formula for the $550 billion proposal, Indiana would receive $6.6 billion for highways, $401 million for bridges, $682 million for public transportation, $100 million toward an electric vehicle charging network and $100 million for internet access, according to an Indiana-specific fact sheet released by the White House.
The package had appeared on track for eventual Senate passage, a rare accord between Republicans and Democrats joining on a shared priority that also is essential to President Joe Biden’s agenda. But senators hit new problems late Thursday as they worked late into the night on amendments. A procedural vote was set for Saturday.
Still, supporters appeared optimistic.
“We’ve worked long, hard and collaboratively, to finish this important bipartisan bill,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., just before midnight. In announcing Saturday’s schedule, he said “We very much want to finish.”
But the bill has its naysayers. Many of them point to an analysis released Thursday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office which shows the legislation would add about $256 billion to the national deficit over the next decade.
“It is clear the pay-fors in this package are either phony or insufficient, and this bill is full of K street carve-outs, kickbacks, and pork,” said U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, a Republican representing Indiana, in a written statement.
In contrast, U.S. Sen. Todd Young, also an Indiana Republican, was among those voting last week to open the bill to amendment and debate so it could continue moving through the legislative process.
“As the Crossroads of America, Indiana understands the need for federal investment in our crumbling infrastructure, especially with nearly 5,500 miles of Hoosier highways in poor condition,” Young said in announcing his decision. “That’s why I voted today to formally begin debate on a bipartisan infrastructure bill. We’ve made a lot of progress so far on an historic investment in our nation’s core infrastructure that will be fully paid for without raising taxes. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle as we sand and polish the final product.”
If the bill passes the Senate, it would move on to the House for consideration.
If successful, the measure could bring pivotal infrastructure improvements to communities across the nation.
“If Congress does pass a bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure package, which will in some measure find its way here to Indianapolis, all of those things combined put us in a very exciting position,” Mayor Joe Hogsett said at a media briefing late last month.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen in Washington,” Hogsett added. “This $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure continues to be talked about. But if it passes, with the American Rescue Plan monies and our regular revenue, pursuant to budgeting, I think 2022 could be a very exciting year for the city.”
Kevin Brinegar, president and CEO of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, said the infrastructure bill is a package “worth funding” because it focuses on traditional infrastructure—roads, bridges, broadband and wastewater—all areas needing improvement in Indiana.
“We are way overdue as a country to reinvest and rebuild the infrastructure,” Brinegar said. “Indiana stands to gain a lot with the passage of this legislation.”
IBJ’s Emily Ketterer and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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I’m sure some enlightened person will tell me what this part of the bill has to do with our crumbling infrastructure:
“Besides the enormous price tag, this bill advances an aggressive leftist agenda that seeks to mandate an ideology about marriage and human sexuality across the nation. It does this by elevating “sexual orientation and gender identity” (SOGI) to protected classes in federal law. Time and again, people of faith have found themselves targeted by so-called SOGI laws; florists, bakers, and t-shirt makers were only the start. More recently we have seen the harmful effects this agenda has on women as it seeks to mandate gender identity ideology which strips women of their rights, privacy, and safety.”
This has nothing to do with roads or bridges!
To the contrary, it would be a contributing factor to our crumbling cultural fabric.
Are you quoting yourself?
Moreover, last time I checked, spending billions to repair and improve roads, bridges, airports, ports, railways, power grids, telecommunications, etc, would be considered the very definition of an infrastructure bill, which is what this bill is.
Also, newsflash, federal anti-discrimination law already protects, sexual orientation & gender identity & the Supreme Court settled the same-sex marriage issue years ago —the infrastructure bill does not mandate anything. If you don’t believe in same-sex marriage, don’t enter into a same-sex marriage, it is quite simple. The same goes for gender identity, if you are comfortable with your gender, why do you care about how someone else identifies?
Get off the cross, someone needs the wood—to build infrastructure!
Quite the rant Bob P., but total nonsense. Pray for help.
I’m not quoting myself; it’s in the bill. That’s why there are 2,700 pages in it, to hide things that Progressives want to hide and slide through undetected until it is too late.
Remember, you cultural geniuses, if they can do it for you, they can do it to you.
How tragic that you can’t see how demolishing the pillars of our culture will lead to its ruin. I would suppose that’s why it’s important to erase history as you self-enlightened geniuses want to do, lest you are forced to learn from it. History only repeats, you know due to man’s fallen nature (human nature, if you prefer a non-Biblical term); there’s nothing new under the sun.
Braun supported Trump in both impeachment trials. That tells you Braun is morally corrupt. The GOP gave $2 trillion to the rich in tax cuts that increased the deficit. Now the GOP wants to act like they’re are fiscally conservative. Deficits go up under GOP Presidents and down under Democratic Presidents. That’s a fact if you look at the last 40 years.
Where was the infrastructure plan under Trump? He had control for his 1st 2 years. Trump was more worried about cutting taxes, interfering in elections and conservative judges that 70% of the US doesn’t want. Trump inherited a strong economy that he screwed up with his policies.
Republicans only care about deficits when there is a Democratic President.
How much of Trump’s deficit spending did Mike Braun oppose?