Congress Passed an Infrastructure Bill for America | News, Sports, Jobs

America’s infrastructure plays a crucial role in our lives. We rely on our infrastructure to commute to work, connect to the internet, buy something online that depends on our ports, our freight rail, our airports, or our highways. We simply flip a light switch and expect the lights to come on. The electrical grid and other hard assets that link our country together – roads, bridges, ports, waterways, railroads, broadband networks and more – are essential for our businesses, farmers, workers, families, and communities.

Unfortunately, many of our infrastructure assets are not up to the task. In February, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave our nation a ‘C-‘ for our infrastructure. And areas like Appalachia, the mountainous region that runs through my home state of Ohio, West Virginia, and a number of other states have their own unique infrastructure challenges. Based on my conversations with Ohioans about the need to fix crumbling infrastructure, it was no surprise that polls from CNBC and CBS News both found that 87 percent of the public backs bipartisan efforts to invest in our infrastructure.

The good news is that, after decades of talking about it, Congress recently passed and the President signed into law the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act to improve the lives of all Americans by investing in our nation’s infrastructure. I was proud to take a leadership role in crafting and passing this legislation in the Senate, which provides an unprecedented $542 billion on infrastructure – that’s 100 percent infrastructure, not social spending – without raising taxes on hardworking American families or the businesses that drive our economy. And because it is long-term investments in hard assets and will make our country more efficient and productive, it is counter-inflationary at a time when devastating inflation is on the rise.

Crucial to the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act becoming law was the support of this legislation in the House of Representatives by 13 Republicans, including Representative David McKinley (R-WV). His leadership for this effort was critical to getting it done. We both recognize that making a targeted infrastructure investment will do a lot to address the unique challenges facing the Appalachia region. I also want to thank West Virginia Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin for their work to make this bill happen.

Here’s how this new law will make a difference.

First, it will help more households upgrade to high-speed internet. Far too often, getting access to reliable Wi-Fi means driving to the nearest library or government building and hoping to get a signal. Unfortunately, Appalachia continues to lag behind the rest of country in terms of internet connectivity and speed. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, this lack of internet harms students trying to complete homework, entrepreneurs trying to start businesses, patients trying to receive virtual health care, and many others.

The new law will help more households in the region upgrade to high-speed internet by providing hundreds of millions for broadband expansion across the region, drastically improving the opportunities available to students, workers, and families. In addition, millions of additional families will be eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program, which helps lower-income households invest in critical high-speed internet subscriptions.

Second, our infrastructure law will help make it easier to get around the region. In some parts of Appalachia, a closed road means a substantial 30-60 minute detour to get to school, work, the grocery store, or even the hospital. To help, state governments will receive billions in aid to repair these crumbling roads, as well as hundreds of millions more in funding to repair bridges. The law also contains $1.25 billion in new funding for the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS), the 3,090-mile road network that has dramatically expanded highway service through the region over the years — including $95 million for highways in Appalachian Ohio and $195 million for West Virginia. The first year’s funding has already been allocated for this purpose, and will help further expand existing throughways and connect more communities to the highways of commerce that link our country.

Thirdly, through the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, Appalachia will see real help to address other significant challenges, from resources to better combat wildfires to critical funding to improve water infrastructure and ensure that clean, safe drinking water is available in every community. These are substantive, long-lasting investments that are not only good for the region, but good for our country, too.

Studies show that building out these hard infrastructure assets will create hundreds of thousands of jobs in a variety of industries, grow our economy, and raise wages for workers over the next 10 years and beyond. It’s no surprise that more than 100 stakeholders from all levels of government and in countless industries supported this bill, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the AFL-CIO Building Trades Council, the American Farm Bureau, and the National League of Cities.

I was proud to join Rep. McKinley and Senators Capito and Manchin to make this needed infrastructure investment. Through the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, the Appalachia region and the entire United States will benefit for years to come.

Sen. Rob Portman is a Republican representing the state of Ohio.