Joe Biden

ICYMI: Local Leaders and Transportation Providers Pen Op-Eds in Support of American Jobs Plan

May 12, 2021

Over the course of the last month, local leaders – from governors to school board members – and transportation providers from across the United States have penned op-eds and letters in support of President Joe Biden's American Jobs Plan, urging Congress to pass the plan into law.

The op-eds highlight the critical investments that the American Jobs Plan will make in our infrastructure – particularly in transportation infrastructure. A generational investment in America, the Jobs Plan commits $115 billion to repair our "highways, bridges and main streets," which will spur the creation of millions of good-paying, union jobs.

As Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer writes, "We will put Michiganders to work in dramatic fashion — tearing up and replacing old roads and bridges, getting rid of lead water pipes and aging sewers, weatherizing neighborhoods, expanding broadband access into rural areas and building a stronger, more resilient electrical power grid."

But the American Jobs Plan doesn't stop there. As leaders from Lane County, Oregon point out in an op-ed published yesterday, "The jobs plan targets investments in how Americans move, live, care and grow."

The Lane County op-ed highlights the wide ranging impacts of the plan – including the expansion of affordable housing, investments in health care infrastructure, and a major emphasis on workforce training, R&D, and the prioritization of American manufacturers.

Read a selection of the pieces below:

Detroit Free Press: Whitmer pens oped to Congress: Michigan needs Biden's jobs plan
[By Governor Gretchen Whitmer, 4/3/21]

Thanks to the millions of Michiganders who followed health guidelines, the dedicated work from health professionals and state agencies, and new federal leadership, Michigan is on the path to recovery. We are starting to rebuild the economy — but there's still more work to do.

President Biden's American Rescue Plan directed important federal funding to Michigan, including a wage increase for direct care workers and funding to expand vaccinations for Michiganders.

On Wednesday in a speech in Pittsburgh, President Biden laid out his American Jobs Plan, showing how millions can be put to work right now by investing in America's future. His announcement was the next step on Michigan's road from rescue to recovery.

After enduring more than a year of the COVID-19 pandemic that has been hard on all of us, we are at a pivotal time as a country and as a state. We have an opportunity to seize this moment — right now — and come back stronger than ever.

We will do it together and we'll do it like Michiganders always have: by banding together, investing in each other, and improving our communities — brick by brick and block by block.

We will put Michiganders to work in dramatic fashion — tearing up and replacing old roads and bridges, getting rid of lead water pipes and aging sewers, weatherizing neighborhoods, expanding broadband access into rural areas and building a stronger, more resilient electrical power grid.

During my tenure, Michigan has created over 11,000 new auto jobs, including the first new plant in Detroit in over 30 years — and that's just the start. In his announcement, President Biden highlighted how we can manufacture 40-50 million electric vehicles in the USA by 2030. I'm fighting for all those to be made right here in our nation's auto capital.

We are focused here in Michigan on being at the forefront of this national infrastructure recovery. And I'm not waiting. Our Rebuilding Michigan Program is already underway — a 5-year plan to improve our roads, bridges and infrastructure that will create over 22,000 good-paying union construction jobs this year alone. Our MI Clean Water Program will create over 7,500 jobs by repairing our aging water infrastructure to ensure clean, affordable water for every Michigander.

Now, we need our Congressional leaders to meet the moment. President Biden is looking to Michigan's elected leaders for guidance on this transformative economic recovery legislation that also puts us on the path to a 100% clean energy economy and trains people for the jobs of the future in wind and solar.

We know the impacts of climate change here in Michigan. Two dams bursting in mid-Michigan, draining an entire recreation lake. Flooded farm fields one year; droughts the next. Increasing lake levels that are swallowing beaches and threatening homes. Basements underwater from old sewers that cannot handle the increased rain.

Our low-income and communities of color have been often harmed most by toxic air pollution, drinking water contamination and aging infrastructure.

We've ignored our infrastructure for too long, but now we can reinvest in what makes Michigan great: our communities. We can do this by partnering together with President Biden, creating good-paying jobs, cleaning up our water and air, and making our energy more affordable.

I thank every Michigander who has done their part in response to the pandemic. We know there is much more to do, we cannot just go back to the way things were. We should rise to the occasion. President Biden is showing us a path to get there. We need Congress to act.

Let's get to work.

The Register Guard (Lane County, OR): Move, live, care and grow in Lane County
[By Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis, Springfield Mayor Sean VanGordon, Lane County Commissioner Heather Buch, Board Chair of Willamalane Parks and Recreation District Greg James, Board President of Lane Transit District Caitlin Vargas and Board Chair of Springfield School District Zach Bessett, 5/11/21]

The United Front partnership of Lane County brings local governments and public agencies together to promote federal funding and policies that benefit our local communities. It is a unique collaboration that includes the cities of Eugene and Springfield, Lane County, Springfield Public Schools, Lane Transit District and Willamalane Parks and Recreation District.

Over the past 35 years, the United Front has brought millions of dollars of federal investment to our region, including funding for major infrastructure projects, health care systems and payments in lieu of taxes from federally managed forests, to name a few. More importantly, though, and in line with what President Biden and his administration are proposing, our United Front has brought a cohesiveness and focus to regional priorities that cover numerous needs of our community and its infrastructure. As the chief elected officials for our collective agencies, we wanted to share our thoughts and support for the Biden administration's American Jobs Plan. Why? Because the president's proposal is one of the most transformational investments that our nation has seen in decades, and it embodies the priorities for our communities.

The jobs plan targets investments in how Americans move, live, care and grow. Our region was experiencing financial challenges before the COVID-19 pandemic, and we need support to continue building our momentum toward recovery and long-term community stability.

How we move
The jobs plan invests in our infrastructure by providing living-wage jobs to rebuild bridges, advance safer roads that provide diverse mobility options, increase our transit services and electrify our transportation choices. Funding from the jobs act will be felt in Lane County through new LTD investments along a rebuilt Franklin Boulevard Corridor, electrification of LTD buses and municipal fleets, more EV charging stations and the peace of mind that hundreds of bridges in the region are seismically safe. The plan provides new funding to support increased recreational investments such as the Rivers to Ridges partnership that protects our region's land and water resources and helps our communities reconnect to the Willamette River running through the heart of our region.

How we live
The jobs plan sees housing as infrastructure and provides a significant down payment on building new affordable housing units, increasing public support for low-income renters and providing local governments critical shelter funding to support our unhoused populations. The jobs plan will expand broadband connectivity throughout our urban and rural communities at an affordable and accessible rate. The pandemic has shown us how much our education, commerce and work depend on a strong communications infrastructure that is accessible to all Americans. The jobs plan also invests heavily in a resilient and reliable clean electricity grid, while also providing communities funding to improve drinking water systems and wastewater treatment systems, critical services that all Americans deserve.

How we care
We have all shared the joy and burden of caring for loved ones, and we recognize that our current care systems are failing us. We need to invest into the caregiver workforce to ensure those critical workers are supported as the foundation for our community. Investments by the jobs plan in-home health care, mental health services, addiction treatment and the full spectrum of services our community will help ensure healthy outcomes and a stable workforce.

How we grow
The jobs plan makes a generational investment in workforce training, research and development and emphasizes American manufacturing. These are critical components to our shared prosperity in Lane County. As our economy continues to evolve and we invest in emerging economic sectors, such as the $1 billion investment in applied research of the University of Oregon's Knight Campus, these federal funds can catapult our region to a new hub for research and jobs.

We look forward to Congress working with the Biden administration to enact a truly transformational investment in our nation, one that will set our region on a new course for stability and prosperity. Please join us in supporting the American Jobs Plan.

Alexandria Gazette Packet: Opinion: Commentary: What President Biden's American Jobs Plan Means to Virginia
[By State Senator Adam Ebbin, 5/9/21]

The Biden administration recently released its American Jobs Plan which includes 2.25 billion dollars of national investment in infrastructure and services. This proposal is deficit-neutral over the next fifteen years by calling for a modest increase in corporate income taxes and eliminating a number of tax shelters. I believe these proposed investments will benefit Virginians and the residents of the 30th district.

Our infrastructure is in dire straits. We have 577 bridges and thousands of miles of highway in Virginia that have fallen into disrepair. Our roads consistently get near-failing grades from the American Society for Civil Engineers. The plan includes $600 billion dollars across the country to fix our transportation infrastructure. Ten percent of trains and other transit vehicles in the state are past useful life. This is why I particularly welcome proposed funds to modernize public transit. As long-time advocate for sustainable transportation investment and a member of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC), I am happy to share that as part of this plan we would receive funding to improve the Metro, Amtrak, and bus services safely across Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax as well as allocate resources to the improve the use and safety of our heavily trafficked roads, bike paths, and pedestrian walkways.

We are no strangers to flooding and the devastating impacts of extreme weather events in the 30th district. I know the long hours Alexandria residents have spent piling heavy sandbags to protect their homes and small businesses. Stormwater utility bills have increased in recent years as we try to fix our insufficient and unsanitary wastewater treatment infrastructure. This is why, during the General Assembly session this year, I sponsored SB1309, a bill which will allow our local elected officials in Alexandria, Arlington, and Fairfax to use local flood water funds for short-term, stop-gap projects to protect neighborhoods and homes from inland flooding. I'm glad that the American Jobs Plan includes $50 billion dollars to improve our resilience against extreme weather events and flooding. That could be a gamechanger.

I know that safe drinking water is crucial for our community to thrive. This means no exposure to lead or dangerous chemicals in our municipal water systems. Biden's infrastructure plan allocates $111 billion dollars to accelerate efforts and ensure everyone has access to affordable, clean, and safe water.

Affordable, high-speed internet is as necessary today as running water and electricity. It has allowed Virginians to log in to school and work during the pandemic, as well as access critical city and county services, pay their bills, and keep in touch with an ever changing world. We have been working to increase access to broadband in rural Virginia for years, and I am proud to have supported an increase in annual funding from $35 million to $50 million for the Virginia Telecommunication Initiative which works to expand access to broadband in underserved areas.

Significantly more investment is needed, as we still are far from the goal of making sure every Virginian has access to broadband. The American Jobs Plan includes $100 billion dollars for affordable broadband infrastructure. Such funds will improve access to information and invest in the students, businesses, and communities whose potential remains restricted by access to the internet.

No veteran should have to wait to access lifesaving healthcare. We are privileged to have over 725,000 veterans call Virginia home, with more than 10% of them living in Northern Virginia. President Biden has allocated $18 billion dollars to improve veteran's healthcare infrastructure in Virginia, especially for women veterans and veterans over the age of 65 who have historically suffered from poor access to health services. This investment will help thousands of families who have served our country live longer and healthier lives.

In Virginia, and across the globe, climate change threatens our long-term safety and ways of life. We took important steps at the state level to address this by passing the Virginia Clean Economy Act (in the 2020 session) which created renewable energy standards which will make our state carbon-neutral by 2050. This requires growing our already large job market for renewable energy (97,305 Virginians are already employed in the industry) and the Biden plan creates a vehicle to make that feasible, expanding and reforming renewable energy tax credits. As we upgrade our grid, many low-income Virginians continue to face challenges of affording their energy bills. The Biden plan also emphasizes lowering costs for low-income Virginians, who spend up to 8% of their monthly income on energy. Finally, the plan calls for a major investment in weatherization assistance to reduce energy loss and increased tax credits for efficient home energy upgrades.

I was pleased to learn the recent polling from Navigator shows that the content of this bill draws bipartisan support from Americans. Opportunities for jobs, intentional recovery, and 21st century planning are popular because they are vital to our continued growth and success. The American Jobs Plan is a much needed and overdue package that will not only address long-standing issues with our existing infrastructure, but also invest in its future so that we can get where we need to go, no matter where we start out. You can find out more about the American Jobs Plan at WhiteHouse.gov or my efforts to support investments in infrastructure at AdamEbbin.com. It is my continued honor to serve the 30th District.

Transbay Joint Powers Authority: Letter from Interim Executive Director Nila Gonzales to Speaker Nancy Pelosi
[By Nila Gonzales, 4/30/21]

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
1236 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Speaker Pelosi,

As a transportation provider from California's Bay Area region, we are writing to voice our strong support for the once-in-a-generation infrastructure investments proposed in President Biden's American Jobs Plan (AJP). Here in northern California, we have taken tremendous steps to secure funding streams, advance environmental efforts and conduct community engagement for our critical transportation needs. We are ready for this moment. However, two things are clear: We need the help of the federal government and we cannot afford to wait.

With Congress turning to legislative efforts for an infrastructure proposal, we urge you to include several key elements of the AJP:

  • $25 billion for a dedicated fund to support ambitious projects that have tangible benefits to the regional or national economy but are too large or complex for existing funding programs
  • $20 billion for a new program that will reconnect neighborhoods cut off by historic investments and ensure new projects increase opportunity, advance racial equity and environmental justice and promote affordable access
  • $85 billion to modernize existing transit and help agencies expand transit to meet demand

These elements will accelerate and support critical surface transportation infrastructure investments serving over 7.8 million people. In particular the size and scope of these programs are precisely what will be needed to complete the Downtown Rail Extension (DTX) project, which will extend Caltrain's rail service from its current San Francisco terminus at 4th and King streets to the Salesforce Transit Center, and ultimately, to the California High-Speed Rail service system that will connect the Bay Area to Los Angeles and the Central Valley. This was the case in 2010 when we received significant funding from the American Rescue and Recovery Act for Phase 1 of the Transbay Transit Center Program, allowing for the construction of the Train Box underneath the Center and bringing the Peninsula one giant step closer to extending rail service to the Bay Area's megaregion. The size and scope of these AJP elements will also promote strong job creation across the nation. The construction of the Transit Center and Train Box created 24,000 jobs across the United States, in 47 out of 50 states and supported US manufacturing in urban and rural areas alike.

We applaud the leadership you provided during passage of H.R. 2 The Moving Forward Act last summer and we stand ready to support you as you undertake this bold endeavor to deliver for America's infrastructure needs.

Respectfully,
Nila Gonzales
Interim Executive Director

CC: San Francisco Peninsula Rail Program Executive Steering Committee

TribLIVE (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review): Scott Bricker and Laura Chu Wiens: Biden's jobs plan can help us move better
[By Scott Bricker and Laura Chu Wiens, 4/22/21]

The Biden administration's bold American Jobs Plan aims to invest hundreds of billions of dollars into public transit and transportation infrastructure. The plan has the potential to massively improve everyday Americans' ability to get around safely, in addition to creating jobs, growing a sustainable economy and moving toward climate goals — if it's done right.

Biden unveiled the American Jobs Plan in Pittsburgh last month, nodding to Pittsburgh's industrial history and indicating that the plan is designed to improve infrastructure in cities like ours across the country. Nearly a quarter of Pittsburgh households have no access to a car, and many workers and residents rely on public transit, walking and biking to access food, work, health care and other necessities.

Biden calls the plan a "once in a generation investment in America, unlike anything we've done since we built the interstate highway system and on the space race decades ago," and that is exactly the type of guiding sentiment we need for the future of transportation; some have argued that Biden's plan is not big enough to match what is needed.

The American Jobs Plan allocates $115 billion to repair our "highways, bridges and main streets." The explicit inclusion of "main streets" here is extremely important; this is not just for interstates, this is for infrastructure for everyday people to get around. The work is described as maintenance, fixing and updating what we have now as opposed to building new roads and bridges. That's good, especially for a place like Pittsburgh. The "fixing it first" and "fixing it right" approach with attention to all users of the road can strengthen our ability to get around Pittsburgh by walking, bicycling and public transportation.

Of this funding, $20 billion is specifically earmarked for safety, with a focus on people who walk and bike. This is a big deal, adding up to 17% of overall spending on safety as compared with the 5% for safety measures in the 2015 transportation bill (FAST Act). Importantly, the plan also specifically names Vision Zero, a comprehensive strategy with the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries while increasing, safe, equitable, healthy mobility for all.

The plan also marks out $85 billion for transit, which, combined with the additional $80 billion in funding for Amtrak, is more than the funding for highways, moving us toward a more sustainable, more equitable mass transit society. There is also $174 billion for electrifying vehicles, which includes funding for 50,000 transit buses and school buses, which is great.

The emphasis on public transit is absolutely crucial in building a safe and efficient transportation system that is focused on people, not on the automotive industry. At the same time, how the funding can be used is just as important. Funding for public transit must be flexible so that it can be used for operations — bus service expansion in particular — and not just capital investments. Up until now, federal dollars have only gone toward infrastructure, and we know that simply having more frequent and expansive service is the best investment to improve equity and to take cars off the road.

Pittsburgh is poised to use an influx of transit funding to tackle long-needed projects. Pittsburghers for Public Transit has just concluded a several-year participatory planning process for riders in the Mon Valley and eastern suburbs to uplift the infrastructure solutions that will support quality public transit to get to their key destinations. Our process points toward the need to expand the Martin Luther King East Busway into the Mon Valley and Monroeville. State Reps. Austin Davis, Summer Lee, Nick Pisciottano and Brandon Markosek have recently named the extension of the East Busway as a key priority for the region.

The American Jobs Plan also includes other encouraging priorities, such as $20 billion for addressing historical inequities by taking down highways that divide communities as well as repairing and restoring community connections and economies. In the congressional discussion of this type of program, measuring reconnection was correctly defined as being walkable or bikeable.

Overall, the American Jobs Plan looks incredibly positive. Pittsburghers stand to benefit from safer streets and increased connectivity between neighborhoods via public transportation and accessible walking and bicycling infrastructure. The emphasis on maintenance — bringing roads and bridges up to complete streets standards by "fixing them right," with all users in mind — as well as on safety, climate and equity throughout the plan are very encouraging.

But the devil is in the details. A lot of work is still required to ensure the public and employment gains of the package are distributed equitably, and that the results benefit the people who need it most. Here, the process is as important as the outcomes. Those most impacted are the ones most capable of designing solutions to address their needs, so transit riders and transit workers need a seat at the table, as do people with disabilities and people with small children. If we begin with those most vulnerable, we build an environment that supports all users.

And finally, barriers to access don't begin and end with the built environment. Most people have transportation needs not because there is a shortage of roads, but because they lack access to safe, affordable, effective means of transportation to get to critical destinations, and safe and affordable housing that would allow them to live within walking, biking or transit access of those services. So policy improvements like low-income fares, transit service expansion and legislation that ties affordable housing to transit access must go hand-in-hand with any built infrastructure improvements.

Scott Bricker is co-founder and executive director of BikePGH. Laura Chu Wiens is executive director of Pittsburghers for Public Transit

Joseph R. Biden, ICYMI: Local Leaders and Transportation Providers Pen Op-Eds in Support of American Jobs Plan Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/349897

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