Tuesday, the U.S. Senate passed a bill that will invest $1.2 trillion into the nation’s infrastructure.
“America has not seen this type of infrastructure investment in the last 30 years. Talked about it a lot but haven’t seen anything,” said U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat.
Every senator who represents West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky voted for the bill, except Rand Paul of Kentucky. He says it’s just a spending spree and will send inflation soaring.
“It’s not the way we ought to be doing this. We should be paying for this bill and doing it by cutting waste and excessive spending from other parts of the budget,” Paul said. “We’re adding debt at an unprecedented pace. There will be repercussions. A day of reckoning awaits.”
Some $1.2 trillion is expected to be divided across the country.
In Kentucky, $4.6 billion will go toward rebuilding and repairing roads and bridges, while an additional $438 million will be available for bridge work. Nearly $100 million will be put into broadband infrastructure, and the state will be eligible to compete for $2 billion to extend broadband service. Up to $418 million will go to clean drinking water programs.
“The Republicans and Democrats have radically different visions these days but both those visions include physical infrastructure that works for all of our citizens,” said U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican and the Senate’s Minority Leader.
In Ohio, $9.8 billion will be used for highway improvements, including $483 million to repair and replace bridges. The state will compete for $33 billion in grant funding for highway projects. Nearly $100 million will go to improving broadband coverage, and $1.2 billion over five years will improve water systems.
“There’s a joke around town that ‘infrastructure week’ has come and gone so many times that people are a little cynical when we talk about it. Well, today is infrastructure day,” said U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican.
In the Mountain State, $3 billion will fund federal-aid highway programs and $506 million will help to replace and repair bridges. Some $100 million will be used to expand broadband coverage, and $196 million will be allocated over five years to improve public transportation.
“I’m from a small state, but I have a lot of bridges. I have a lot of bridges, and unfortunately a lot of them are not in the best condition. This will be a monumental improvement in what I see every day in my state,” said U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a West Virginia Republican.
The bill will go to the House where Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she will not allow a vote until a $3.5 trillion Human Infrastructure bill is also passed by the Senate.