Biden Signs $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill
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President Joe Biden signed his $1 trillion infrastructure deal into law Nov. 15 on the White House lawn, with a smattering of Republican lawmakers on hand for what could be one of the last shows of bipartisanship ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.
The president hopes to use the law to build back his popularity, which has taken a hit amid rising inflation and the inability to fully shake the public health and economic risks from COVID-19.
CAPITOL AGENDA: Build Back Better Act comes next
“My message to the American people is this: America is moving again and your life is going to change for the better,” Biden said.
President Biden Signs Infrastructure Bill pic.twitter.com/aBwsq1iPob — CSPAN (@cspan) November 15, 2021
With the bipartisan deal, the president had to choose between his promise of fostering national unity and a commitment to transformative change. The final measure whittled down much of his initial vision to invest in roads, bridges, water systems, broadband, ports, electric vehicles and the power grid. Yet the administration hopes to sell the new law as a success that bridged partisan divides and will elevate the country with clean drinking water, high-speed internet and a shift away from fossil fuels.
“Too often in Washington — the reason we don’t get things done is because we insist on getting everything we want,” Biden said in his prepared remarks. “With this law, we focused on getting things done. I ran for president because the only way to move our country forward is through compromise and consensus.”
Big crowd at the White House today for the signing of the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. pic.twitter.com/NkdlpOZWPd — Riley Beggin (@rbeggin) November 15, 2021
Biden will get outside Washington to sell the plan more broadly in coming days.
He intends go to New Hampshire on Nov. 16 to visit a bridge on the state’s “red list” for repair, and he will go to Detroit on Nov. 17 for a stop at General Motors’ electric vehicle assembly plant, while other officials also fan out across the country. The president went to the Port of Baltimore last week to highlight how the supply chain investments from the law could limit inflation and strengthen supply chains, a key concern of voters who are dealing with higher prices.
“We see this as is an opportunity because we know that the president’s agenda is quite popular,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Nov. 15 before the signing. The outreach to voters can move “beyond the legislative process to talk about how this is going to help them. And we’re hoping that’s going to have an impact.”
Biden held off on signing the hard-fought infrastructure deal after it passed on Nov. 5 until legislators would be back from a congressional recess and could join in a splashy bipartisan event. On the night before the signing, the White House announced Mitch Landrieu, the former New Orleans mayor, would help manage and coordinate the implementation of the infrastructure spending.
The gathering Nov. 15 on the White House lawn was uniquely celebratory with an upbeat brass band and peppy speeches, a contrast to the drama and tensions when the fate of the package was in doubt for several months. The speakers lauded the measure for creating jobs, combating inflation and responding to the needs of voters.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., arrive before President Joe Biden signs the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill into law during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Nov. 15. (Associated Press/Susan Walsh)
Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who helped negotiate the package, celebrated Biden’s willingness to jettison much of his initial proposal to help bring GOP lawmakers on board. Portman even credited former President Donald Trump for raising awareness about infrastructure, even though the loser of the 2020 election voiced intense opposition to the ultimate agreement.
“The approach from the center out should be the norm, not the exception,” Portman said.
The signing included governors and mayors of both parties and labor and business leaders. In addition to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the guest list included Republicans such as Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, Maine Sen. Susan Collins, New York Rep. Tom Reed, Alaska Rep. Don Young and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.
In order to achieve a bipartisan deal, the president had to cut back his initial ambition to spend $2.3 trillion on infrastructure by more than half. The law in reality includes about $550 billion in new spending over 10 years, since some of the expenditures in the package were already planned.
The agreement ultimately got support from 19 Senate Republicans, including Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Thirteen House Republicans also voted for the infrastructure bill. An angry Trump issued a statement attacking “Old Crow” McConnell and other Republicans for cooperating on “a terrible Democrat Socialist Infrastructure Plan.”
McConnell says the country “desperately needs” the new infrastructure money, but he skipped the signing ceremony, telling WHAS radio in Louisville, Ky., that he has “other things” to do.
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