The House passed the bill on a 228-206 vote, which included the support of 13 Republicans and the opposition of six Democrats. In August the Senate passed the legislation on a 69-30 vote, with 19 Republicans joining the Democrats to support it.

All three of Pulaski County’s Congressional representatives, Rep. Jackie Walorski and Sens. Mike Braun and Todd Young opposed the measure. (Their statements appear at the end of this article.)

However, a Fox News poll, reported in August, found that 62% of Americans support the $1.2 trillion legislation. California, Texas and New York are expected to receive the largest sums of infrastructure funds. But less populous states will get the most money per capita, according to a report from CNBC. Indiana is expected to be allocated $8.8 billion, or $1.3K per resident.

A separate (and whittled down) $1.75 trillion “social infrastructure” bill - addressing climate change, child care, Medicare expansion, child tax credits, housing and healthcare -  continues to work its way through Congress.

Friday's newly approved infrastructure bill has been hailed by some as the first comprehensive infrastructure measure since the building of the interstate highway system. Various provisions in the bill are expected to reach into every community in the nation. Both Republicans and Democrats in Congress and the White House have attempted such a sweeping deal in recent decades, but without success - even with the support of labor and business leaders concerned about crumbling public works.

Key provisions in the bill now headed for Biden’s signature include $110 billion for roads and bridges; $65 billion for expanding Internet access in rural and low-income areas; and $55 billion for water issues.

The historic legislation will:

Deliver clean water to all American families and eliminate the nation’s lead service lines. Currently, up to 10 million American households and 400,000 schools and child care centers lack safe drinking water. 

Ensure every American has access to reliable high-speed internet. Broadband internet is necessary for Americans to do their jobs, to participate equally in school learning, health care, and to stay connected. Yet, by one definition, more than 30 million Americans live in areas where there is no broadband infrastructure that provides minimally acceptable speeds – a particular problem in rural communities throughout the country. 

Repair and rebuild roads and bridges with a focus on climate change mitigation, resilience, equity, and safety for all users. In the United States, 1 in 5 miles of highways and major roads, and 45,000 bridges, are in poor condition. The legislation will reauthorize surface transportation programs for five years and invest $110 billion in additional funding to repair roads and bridges and support major, transformational projects. 

Improve transportation options for millions of Americans and reduce greenhouse emissions through the largest investment in public transit in U.S. history. America’s public transit infrastructure is inadequate – with a multibillion-dollar repair backlog, representing more than 24,000 buses, 5,000 rail cars, 200 stations, and thousands of miles of track, signals, and power systems in need of replacement. The transportation sector in the U.S. is now the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions. 

Upgrade the nation’s airports and ports to strengthen supply chains and prevent disruptions that have caused inflation. This will improve U.S. competitiveness, create more and better jobs at these hubs, and reduce emissions. Decades of neglect and underinvestment in infrastructure have left the links in goods movement supply chains struggling to keep up with economic recovery from the pandemic. 

Make the largest investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak. U.S. passenger rail lags behind the rest of the world in reliability, speed, and coverage. This is the largest investment in passenger rail since Amtrak’s creation, 50 years ago and will create safe, efficient, and climate-friendly alternatives for moving people and freight.

Build a national network of electric vehicle (EV) chargers. The legislation will invest $7.5 billion to build out a national network of EV chargers in the U.S. This is a critical step in the President’s strategy to fight the climate crisis and it will create good U.S. manufacturing jobs. 

Upgrade the power infrastructure to deliver clean, reliable energy across the country and deploy cutting-edge energy technology to achieve a zero-emissions future. According to the Department of Energy, power outages cost the U.S. economy up to $70 billion annually. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal’s more than $65 billion investment includes the largest investment in clean energy transmission and grid in American history.

Make infrastructure resilient against the impacts of climate change, cyber-attacks, and extreme weather events. Millions of Americans feel the effects of climate change each year when their roads wash out, power goes down, or schools get flooded. Last year alone, the U.S. faced 22 extreme weather and climate-related disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each – a cumulative price tag of nearly $100 billion.

Deliver the largest investment in tackling legacy pollution in American history by cleaning up Superfund and brownfield sites, reclaiming abandoned mines, and capping orphaned oil and gas wells. In thousands of rural and urban communities around the country, hundreds of thousands of former industrial and energy sites are now idle – sources of blight and pollution. Proximity to a Superfund site can lead to elevated levels of lead in children’s blood. The bill will invest $21 billion clean up Superfund and brownfield sites, reclaim abandoned mine land and cap orphaned oil and gas wells. These projects will remediate environmental harms, address the legacy pollution that harms the public health of communities, create good-paying union jobs, and advance long overdue environmental justice

Paying for the bill

Both Democrat and Republican senators who negotiated the bipartisan infrastructure legislation have claimed the bill is “paid for.” But the matter continues to be debated.

The bill totals $1.2 trillion, but nearly half of that is previously approved funding. Various reports explain the five-year spending package would be paid for by tapping $210 billion in unspent COVID-19 relief aid and $53 billion in unemployment insurance aid some states have halted, along with an array of smaller pots of money, like petroleum reserve sales and spectrum auctions for 5G services.

Senators Rob Portman (R), Joe Manchin (D), Kyrsten Sinema (D), and Mitt Romney (R), among several others, have been quoted as saying the “bill is all paid for,” and “won’t raise taxes.”

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has published its analysis of the infrastructure bill, finding that “the legislation would add $256 billion to projected deficits” over the 2021-2031 time period.

Walorski, Braun, Young weigh in on the infrastructure bill

Rep. Walorski:

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Nov. 6) – U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) released the following statement following her opposition vote on the infrastructure bill:

“As Hoosier families face the devastating ramifications of President Biden’s inflation and supply chain crises, President Biden and the Democrats’ socialist tax-and-spend scheme is astonishingly out of touch with the American people. This big-government behemoth was never intended to help working families grow and succeed – it has always been about securing more control over Americans from cradle to grave. As made clear by this radical scheme, Democrats are focused on grabbing power and deepening Americans’ dependence on welfare without work. From dictating pre-k curriculum and private employers’ paid leave to weaponizing the IRS, Democrats want to have more say over how we live our lives every day.

“Instead of listening to reason or even taking the time to determine how this multi-trillion boondoggle will affect our economy, President Biden and the Democrats are doubling down on their socialist scheme. Once again, Speaker Pelosi expects Congress to pass a massive bill to find out what’s in it.

“This tax-and-spend spree will clear the way for more of the Democrats’ radical agenda. The American people deserve far better, and I will continue to reject this alarming momentum and stand strong for our freedom and individual rights.”

Walorski represents the 2nd Congressional District of Indiana, serving as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Ranking Member of the House Ethics Committee.

Sen. Braun:

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Aug. 10) - Senator Mike Braun released the following statement on his vote against the bipartisan infrastructure bill: 

“This infrastructure bill is full of pork and carve-outs for lobbyists, isn’t paid for according to non-partisan analysis, and is linked to the extreme left’s $3.5 trillion inflation bomb.”

Sen. Young:

 WASHINGTON, D. C. (Aug. 8) – U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) issued the following statement regarding his intent to vote against the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act:

“For the last several months, I’ve been working diligently with my colleagues toward a bipartisan infrastructure bill to provide crucial funding for our crumbling roads and bridges and to make targeted investments that yield positive long-term results in areas like broadband, ports, and airports.

“As I’ve said many times, while I’m eager for a bill that makes these investments, I’m also committed to doing so in a fiscally responsible way. Having reviewed the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) estimated fiscal impact of this legislation as currently constructed, and frankly still not being comfortable with a number of the Democratic priorities contained in this version, I will vote ‘no.’

“As many of you know, I have concerns with the way CBO scores legislation and, even in this case, I don’t agree exactly with their scoring analysis. Nonetheless, I’m not yet comfortable with the current pay-fors in this legislation nor am I comfortable with Speaker Pelosi’s continued insistence on tying passage of this bill to the Democrats’ $3.5 trillion reckless tax-and-spend budget proposal. Whether it is infrastructure or the Democrats’ reckless budget, we can’t afford to continue to grow the national debt at this pace, particularly as our economy recovers from the pandemic. 

“Once this legislation passes the Senate, it will move next to the House of Representatives, where changes are all but certain. I intend to do what Hoosiers expect me to do, which is to continue working with my colleagues to improve this bill in hopes that the final product will be one I can support, because I sincerely believe we must address our nation’s infrastructure needs.”