Biden's American Jobs Plan Details Illinois' Infrastructure Needs

ILLINOIS — The White House on Monday released a state-by-state breakdown of President Joe Biden’s American Jobs Plan, which the administration says would revitalize the nation’s aging infrastructure and create millions of new jobs.

The $2 trillion plan aims to tackle the miles of bridges and roads across the country that are in need of repair, as well as increase housing affordability and access to broadband internet, ensure clean drinking water for communities and revamp the country's energy grid.

Although most Republican voters support pieces of Biden's bill, Newsweek reports that GOP lawmakers have criticized the proposed legislation for including things they don't view as infrastructure, such as child and elder care.

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) told "This Week" on ABC earlier this month he would support the bill if it was more focused on fixing the country's roads and bridges. He said the narrower scope would gain better bipartisan support among lawmakers.

“And then the other 70 percent or so of the package, which doesn't have very much to do with infrastructure, if you want to force that through in a partisan way, you still could do that,” he said.

But, because of the Senate filibuster rule, Democrats would need a supermajority to pass any legislation stripped from the overall bill, meaning anything left out is unlikely to become law in the near future.

CNBC reports moderate Democrats like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) have also taken issue with a proposed corporate tax hike that would help pay for some of the proposed bill's projects. The take hike would increase corporate rates from 21 percent to 28 percent.

Manchin said "the bill [that] exists today, it needs to be changed."

Biden hopes to see the legislation pass by the end of summer and is working with lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to negotiate a final package that would garner bipartisan support, according to NBC News.
As part of its breakdown, the White House gave Illinois a C-minus grade on its infrastructure report card.

Here are just a few of the things the plan would mean for the state's infrastructure if the plan passes, according to the White House.

Roads And Bridges

The breakdown found that 2,374 bridges and more than 6,218 miles of road in Illinois are in disrepair. Commute times have risen by 7.3 percent in the state since 2011, and drivers pay an average of $609 per year for wear and tear on their vehicles as a result of driving on poorly maintained roads. If the plan passes, it would devote more than $600 billion to the country’s infrastructure, including $115 billion for road and bridge repairs.

Public Transportation

Illinoisans who take public transportation spend an extra 68.3 percent of their time commuting, and non-white households are 1.9 times more likely to commute via public transportation. Twenty-one percent of public transportation vehicles in the state are out of date, the report said. The American Jobs plan would help modernize the country’s fleet of vehicles such as trains and buses with an $85 billion investment.

Storm Resistant Infrastructure

From 2010 to 2020, Illinois experienced 48 extreme weather events, costing the state about $50 billion, according to the White House. The Biden administration wants to invest that same amount — $50 billion — in improving the resiliency of the state's infrastructure and to support communities recovering from natural disasters.

Drinking Water

The state's drinking water infrastructure will require $20.9 billion in additional funding over the next 20 years, according to the report. The plan will include $111 billion set aside to help make sure the state has clean, safe drinking water in every community.

Housing

A lack of available and affordable housing has led 765,000 Illinois renters to spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent. Part of the American Jobs Plan will involve a $200 billion increase to the nation’s current housing supply to help address the scarcity of affordable options.

Broadband

About 7 percent of Illinoisans live in areas without acceptable internet speeds, and 62 percent of Illinoisans live in areas with only one internet provider. "The Americans Jobs Plan would invest $100 billion to bring universal, reliable, high-speed, and affordable [internet] coverage to every family in America," according to the White House.

Caregiving and Child Care

The plan also looks to add $400 billion to help older adults and people with disabilities get better access to care from home and community-based services. The legislation would work to modernize the nation’s schools and early learning facilities as well as build new ones in so-called “child care deserts.” Around 58 percent of Illinois residents live in areas that lack child care.

Manufacturing

The American Jobs Plan will invest $300 billion to revitalize American manufacturers, according to the administration. About 592,000 Illinoisans — nearly 10 percent of the state's workforce — work in manufacturing.

Clean Energy and Home Weatherization

The average low-income family in Illinois spends 6-8 percent of their income on home energy bills. Investments through the American Jobs Plan will help families upgrade and weatherize their homes.

As of 2019, more than 125,000 Illinoisans worked in clean energy jobs. The American Jobs Plan will expand clean energy tax credits and invest in green technologies to increase that number, creating more "good paying union jobs" in the process, according to the Biden administration.

Veterans Health Care

Illinois is home to more than 628,000 veterans, 7.9 percent of whom are women and 52 percent of whom are over age 65, according to the report. The president's plan would invest $18 billion to improve VA health care facilities.

Read the White House’s full breakdown of how the American Jobs Plan will affect Illinois.