A bipartisan group of senators recently reached a deal with President Biden to invest $1.2 trillion into the country’s infrastructure. The agreement makes transformational and historical commitments to clean transportation and water infrastructure, universal broadband infrastructure, clean power infrastructure, remediation of legacy pollution, and resilience to the changing climate. While the announcement is positive, the proposal is still subject to congressional approval and there are indications that it may face opposition for being either too big or not big enough.

The breakthrough agreement provides critical, long-term investments to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure and preserve our current physical and virtual assets. The investments include $312 billion in transportation infrastructure, $55 billion in water infrastructure, and $65 billion in broadband expansion.

Of the plan’s $312 billion transportation investments, $109 billion is allocated to the repair of roads and bridges with a focus on climate change mitigation, equity, and safety for all road users. This plan begins to address many of Washington’s city transportation needs: maintenance and preservation, equitable investments in small and large cities, and “healthy, sustainable transportation options” that modernize and expand transit and rail networks across the country while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The infrastructure plan’s investment in water infrastructure seeks to eliminate all lead service lines and pipes and ensure clean drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. Further, the plan commits the federal government to providing every American with reliable high-speed internet and will likely drive down prices for internet services and close the digital divide.

Another exciting investment included in the infrastructure plan is the proposed Infrastructure Financing Authority (IFA). The IFA would provide loans and loan guarantees to complement existing funding mechanisms for infrastructure investments, and would operate with congressional and federal oversight, independent of any federal agency. Undoubtedly, the IFA has similar goals as our Washington State Public Works Trust Fund (PWTF) and would provide key infrastructure investments to meet the economic, technical, and environmental needs of urban and rural communities.

These investments echo many of our member cities’ priorities throughout the last ten years. We will continue to report on the status of the proposal as it moves through the congressional process over the summer. Find more information about the proposal from the White House and the National League of Cities.