Flooding in East Village and on Interstate 5 in downtown San Diego last week after two water mains broke Nov. 21 created both huge headaches for drivers and indelible images of water coursing down the freeway. It took until Wednesday for I-5 conditions to become close to normal. But the mess carried a needed message: The problems with America’s aging infrastructure are real and not a product of President Joe Biden’s imagination.
Biden’s signing of a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill Nov. 15 is rightly seen as a highlight of his 10 months in office. The measure won genuine bipartisan support in the Senate, passing on a rare 69-30 vote with the enthusiastic backing of Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Its passage in the House on a 228-206 vote was much more party-line.
Why did GOP lawmakers reject the measure? Some certainly hold the principled view that it’s irresponsible to keep borrowing money and adding to the national credit card. But most were likely responding to threats from former President Donald Trump that he would seek to block the reelection of Republicans who gave Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer such a victory. Given that Trump himself wanted a big infrastructure measure while president, this is partisan politics at its worst.
The measure Biden signed includes $73 billion to upgrade the electricity grid, making it more practical to carry renewable energy; $66 billion for rail improvements and projects; $65 billion for broadband so remote areas have high-speed internet access; $21 billion for cleanup of polluted waterways, abandoned mines and other sites; $15 billion to modernize water systems and make water safer to drink and use; and $2 billion for improving transportation projects in rural areas.
The measure also features the federal government’s most specific, targeted response to the climate emergency yet. It includes $47 billion for “climate resiliency” programs to combat wildfires and help coastal regions deal with the more frequent flooding and hurricanes expected in coming years. And it provides $7.5 billion to take a first step toward Biden’s goal of building 500,000 electric-vehicle charging stations across the nation.
Yes, of course, it would be better if all this new spending was paid for on an as-you-go basis. But the case for the measure is buttressed by economists across the spectrum who say U.S. infrastructure woes are a major drag on the $20 trillion national economy. Studies show delays caused by traffic congestion and the poor condition of the nation’s airports take an annual economic toll of at least $135 billion — before this year’s disastrous supply chain problems. It’s no wonder freight transportation experts cheered the bill’s passage.
Alas, so long as Trump remains so popular with rank-and-file Republicans that most GOP lawmakers won’t cross him, progress on other big national concerns may be elusive. But at least the passage of the infrastructure plan — and its support from more than a third of Senate Republicans — shows progress is possible on complex issues.
This editorial first appeared in The San Diego Union-Tribune on Monday. This commentary should be considered another point of view and not necessarily the opinion or editorial policy of The Dominion Post.
