From Madison, WI to San Antonio, TX, Americans up and down the country are reading about significant investments in their communities announced by the Biden-Harris Administration during the third week of the Investing in America Tour.
On Thursday, Vice President Harris visited the Arland D. Williams Jr. Memorial Bridge which connects Virginia to the nation's capital and announced $300 million from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to improve 9 bridges in communities from Columbia, SC to Detroit, MI, Madison, WI to San Diego, CA. The Biden-Harris Administration last week also announced significant investments to expand access to high-speed internet, advance environmental justice and build a clean energy economy.
Throughout the three-week Investing in America tour, President Biden and members of his Administration held over 50 events across nearly 30 states and territories to highlight how President Biden's policies are spurring private sector manufacturing and clean energy investments, driving small business growth, and investing in infrastructure and communities directly.
Read below for a sampling of the coverage:
Northern Virginia/Washington D.C.
Spectrum News: VP Harris closes White House infrastructure tour touting bridge grants
Vice President Kamala Harris closed out the White House's "Investing in America" tour on Thursday with an announcement of one more set of investments: nearly $300 million in grant funding for repairing and updating nine bridge projects across the country. […] Officials also toured the sites of existing and forthcoming factories and plants, including President Joe Biden's visit to the Wolfspeed Semiconductor plant in Durham, N.C. - which is expected to add 1,800 new jobs to the area.
California
San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego pulls in $24M in federal cash to upgrade Palm Avenue bridge in Otay Mesa
The Palm Avenue bridge in Otay Mesa will get a significant overhaul thanks to $24 million in federal cash paid for in part by the bipartisan infrastructure law, officials announced Thursday…The city of San Diego secured the money through a competitive grant process that also funded eight other projects across the nation…"I want to express my incredible gratitude to the Biden administration, as well as our congressional partners and the U.S. Department of Transportation, for their willingness to make this possible," San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria told reporters.
State Scoop: California collects $540M for high-speed internet expansion
California will receive $540.2 million from the American Rescue Plan's Capital Projects Fund, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced Thursday…California plans to use the funds to connect 127,000 homes and businesses to affordable, high-speed internet under its Last Mile Broadband Expansion grant program, connecting approximately 16% of locations lacking high-speed internet access in the state.
Georgia
Capitol Beat News Service: Becerra addresses new insulin cap, abortion drug during Atlanta visit
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra addressed national and state health concerns Monday from senior drug prices to abortion during an Atlanta visit. Becerra, joined by U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., spent the morning visiting Ser Familia, a Latino community center in Norcross. The Democratic duo touted a provision of the Inflation Reduction Act passed last year that sets a $35 monthly cap on the cost of insulin for Americans over age 65 enrolled in Medicare.
Kansas
KZRG Radio: Kelly joins U.S. Commerce Secretary Raimondo, U.S. Sen. Moran in roundtable
Today, Governor Laura Kelly and Lieutenant Governor David Toland visited Wichita State University (WSU) with United States Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and United States Senator Jerry Moran to tour the facilities and discuss essential investments and upgrades being made to infrastructure and high-speed internet access across Kansas. "By working together and taking the time to do this right, we're going to close the digital divide for good and grow the opportunity for everyone in Kansas and America to succeed," [said Secretary Raimondo.]
Michigan
Detroit News: Michigan gets $73M from feds to rebuild 85-year-old moveable Bay City bridge
The federal government is providing Michigan with a $73 million grant toward rebuilding the moveable Lafayette Avenue Bridge over the Saginaw River in Bay City that is in such bad shape it closed 20 times for repairs last year, officials said…"That was a pretty transformative infrastructure program for the United States, and now President Biden is leading a new renaissance."…The Federal Highway Administration announced the funding Thursday as part of a $300 million allocation from the competitive Bridge Investment Program in nine small and medium-size bridge projects in eight states and the District of Columbia. The program is intended to put $12.5 billion toward rebuild and repairing bridges around the country over five years.
New Jersey
The Trentonian: Mayor Reed Gusciora and U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg talk new projects
Mayor Gusciora and Secretary Buttigieg talked about multiple projects including, the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program, opportunities associated with the realignment of NJ Route 29, and the city's historical challenges in capturing sufficient levels of state aid. Under [Secretary Buttigieg's] leadership, the United States has achieved the most significant investment in infrastructure in the history of our nation," Gusciora said.
Patch: More Trees Can Change The World - And Newark, Cory Booker Says
According to a statement from Booker's office, the grants are part of a $1.5 billion investment in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program from President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act. The money will benefit community-based organizations, tribes, municipal and state governments, nonprofit partners, universities and other eligible entities as they work to "increase tree cover in urban spaces and boost equitable access to nature while bolstering resilience to extreme heat, storm-induced flooding, and other climate impacts."
New York
Albany Times-Union: U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg comes to Capital Region
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was in Rensselaer County on Thursday as part of the Biden-Harris Administration's "Investing in America" tour where he touted a $21 million federal grant to repair and modernize the Castleton-on-Hudson Bridge, part of I-90 and the Thruway spanning the Hudson River between Albany and Rensselaer counties.
Northeast Public Radio: U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announces bridge investment in Castleton
"17,000 people cross that bridge every day, and the project is set to save millions of dollars in travel costs as well as saving taxpayers even more in maintenance costs," Buttigieg said. […]Buttigieg's visit is part of the Biden administration's "Investing in America" tour. […] The grant is made possible by the Biden-Harris Administration's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Queens Chronicle: Flipping the power switch
U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, center, toured the Ravenswood Generating Station in Long Island City on Tuesday with U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez, right, to highlight President Biden's Investing in America agenda that includes funding for the conversion to clean energy. Ravenswood is one of a handful of sites in the Long Island City-Astoria area that will transition from fossil fuel to renewable sources or will be replaced by new green infrastructure in the coming years.
WCBS (CBS New York, NY): Biden administration pledges $10 million to Harlem-based environmental group
The Environmental Protection Agency is creating a technical assistance center in Harlem to help the community improve its environment. The Biden administration pledged $10 million to the Harlem-based group We Act For Environmental Justice. The group successfully advocated to build Riverbank State Park on top of the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant.
North Carolina
WXII (NBC Winstom-Salem, NC): US Health and Human Services Secretary joins governor, representative in Greensboro for roundtables
Cooper talked about the Medicaid Expansion bill he signed last week, which will give North Carolina an additional $521 million each month for health care. […] "The investments that we are making, to make sure that this health care is available for people who can't afford it is well worth the investment," Cooper said. Becerra said this Medicaid expansion in North Carolina will also help with preventative care. "We're spending a whole bunch of money right now in America to repair broken men and women. We could have built them strong to begin with. Preventative care does that," Becerra said.
Ohio
Spectrum: White House emphasizes Brent Spence Bridge impact during 'Investing In America' tour stop
U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman and senior White House adviser Mitch Landrieu held a press conference along the Ohio River on Thursday morning. But the star of the show was the Brent Spence Bridge. Landsman and Landrieu - a former mayor of New Orleans - were in Cincinnati as part of the Biden administration's three-week, 25-state "Investing in America" tour to highlight the proposed use of billions of federal dollars in an assortment of infrastructure projects[…] The major talking point at Smale Riverfront Park on Thursday was the importance of securing $1.6 billion in BIL funding to support the reconfiguration of Brent Spence Bridge.
WLWT (NBC Cincinnati, OH): White House advisor joins Rep. Landsman in Cincinnati to promote Bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Act
In December, the federal government announced it would provide a $1.6 billion grant to fund the project, which includes a companion bridge to the current Brent Spence Bridge…"The White House is way up here," Landrieu said, motioning his hands upwards. "You got to get down on the ground. And Alicia said this really well. You know, it's one thing to talk about it. The president actually got the money out. Now we've got to get the money down to the ground, which we've done with the grants, but then you got to build it."
WNWO (NBC Toledo, OH): HUD secretary visits Toledo to discuss making public housing more accessible
Marcia Fudge, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, made a stop in Toledo on Thursday to announce investments for the area with local and state leaders…"There's $37 million available through 108 loans from HUD that is going to help transform this community," Fudge said. "Through the Rescue Plan, congresswoman, there's going to be about 600 new homes built here over the next few years out of that Rescue Plan."
Oklahoma
Griffin News: Biden Administration Selects Oklahoma As Recipient of Grant to Replace Failing Bridges
The Biden administration Thursday selected Oklahoma as the recipient of one of nine grants to help replace failing bridges across the country…The $300 million in funding comes from the bipartisan Infrastructure Law's Bridge Investment Program…The announcement came as the administration wraps up three weeks of traveling the country on what they've been calling the 'Investing in America Tour', to showcase a variety of programs and progress on improving the nation's infrastructure…"The largest infrastructure investment since President Eisenhower," Vice President Kamala Harris exclaimed Thursday afternoon.
Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: The White House came to Pa. to tout $200 million for broadband internet
Some 44,000 Pennsylvania homes and businesses will be connected to high-speed internet service thanks to $200 million in funding from the coronavirus stimulus law that President Joe Biden signed early in his term, officials said Monday. […] "Too often, families, particularly those in our rural communities, are left at a disadvantage when it comes to high-speed internet access," Mr. Casey said. "This $200 million award from the American Rescue Plan will help level the playing field."
South Carolina
WISTV: South Carolina set to receive over $51 million to fund rural bridge restoration
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration announced Thursday that $51.2 million is being allocated to SC in the Bridge Investment Program…U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said, "The grant awards we're announcing today are helping communities of all sizes modernize their bridges so that school buses, delivery trucks, ambulances, and commuters can get where they need to go quickly and safely."…The grant funding to SCDOT will replace six bridges that are between 68 and 101 years old. The bridges are reported to carry 13,300 vehicles per day, including 1,900 trucks. The bridges are located in Union County.
Virginia
Augusta Free Press: Biden Administration Announces Funding To Expand Access To Trees Green Spaces
The Biden-Harris Administration announced the availability of $1 billion in grants to increase equitable access to trees and green spaces in urban and community forests where more than 84 percent of Americans live, work and play…Today's announcement is part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda and the Administration's work to build a clean energy economy, advance environmental justice and create economic opportunity in communities across the country…The funding is part of a $1.5 billion investment in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program from President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin State Journal: White House announces $15.1 million more for rebuilding John Nolen Drive in Madison
The federal government will deliver another $15.1 million toward the city's $30 million replacement of the gateway John Nolen Drive causeway that connects Downtown and the South Side, the White House announced Wednesday…The Biden administration on Thursday will announce nearly $300 million for nine bridge projects in eight states and the District of Columbia funded by the bipartisan infrastructure law's Bridge Investment Program…"I want to thank President Biden and White House Senior Advisor and Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu for delivering this much-needed infrastructure improvement to Madison and supporting high-quality, good-paying jobs in the process," Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said.
The Capital Times: Biden boosts Madison John Noel Drive bridge project
Improving bridges will also improve economic competitiveness, Mitch Landrieu, a White House senior adviser to President Joe Biden, said Friday morning at a press conference at Olin Park. His stop in the capital city was part of Biden's Investing in America agenda, promoted as an effort to grow the American economy with new infrastructure, more manufacturing and added clean energy…"Bridges connect us - to one another, to economic opportunity and to get goods to shelves," Landrieu said. "Our investment in the John Nolen Drive Bridge - and in bridges across the country - is further proof that President Biden's investments in our infrastructure are making us stronger and leaving no one behind."
