President Biden coming to Minnesota to promote infrastructure plan

There might be a traffic jam or two in the southern metro this week thanks to a high-profile visitor. 

President Joe Biden will be traveling to Rosemount on Tuesday, November 30, to discuss the recently passed Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, a $1.2 trillion package touted as “the largest federal investment in public transit ever.”

That’s according to a Friday news release from the White House, which says Biden will talk about how the law “will deliver for the American people and create good-paying union jobs.”

No other details about the trip were released, so it’s unknown where, exactly, the president will visit during his time in Rosemount.

The bill, which was passed earlier this month, funds a major portion of Biden’s domestic agenda. It will bring significant upgrades to the national infrastructure over the next eight years, including: 

• $89.9 billion to overhaul and modernize the nation’s transit infrastructure, with a goal of replacing “thousands of deficient transit vehicles, including buses, with clean, zero emission vehicles, and (improving) accessibility for the elderly and people with disabilities.”
• $42 billion to upgrade the nation’s airports and shipping ports “to strengthen our supply chains and prevent disruptions that have caused inflation,” with a goal of reducing emissions via “electrification and other low-carbon technologies.”
• $66 billion to beef up passenger rail service and make trains a key player in the transportation of both people and cargo. It’s the largest investment in rail infrastructure since the creation of Amtrak 50 years ago.
• $110 billion to repair the nation’s roads and bridges “with a focus on climate change mitigation, resilience, equity, and safety for all users.”
• $7.5 billion to build a national network of 500,000 electric vehicle (EV) chargers. The White House says the investment would “accelerate the adoption of EVs, reduce emissions, improve air quality, and create good-paying jobs across the country.”
• $65 billion to expand access to reliable high-speed internet; the White House notes that some 30 million Americans live in areas without broadband infrastructure.
• $65+ billion to upgrade the nation’s power infrastructure, with the aim of avoiding costly power outages and reducing emissions by installing new transmission lines and expanding the use of renewable technologies.

Biden signed the package into law on Monday, November 15. It’s separate from the “Build Back Better” plan that Biden campaigned on, a version of which was passed in the U.S. House last Friday. The bill is now with the U.S. Senate, “where it is expected to undergo a couple of weeks of assessment” before it goes to a vote, the Journal of Accountancy says.