The Many Times It's Been Infrastructure Week' in Washington (2020)
www.nytimes.com

... From the moment President Trump made his 2016 campaign pledge to start a $1 trillion effort to rebuild the United States' roads and bridges, infrastructure has become a constant motif of his presidency: his unfulfilled boasts about cutting big bipartisan deals, his quest for distractions from disastrous news cycles and his inability to tackle the nation's pressing issues.

Democrats have called for a huge infrastructure deal, as well, only to see their hopes for a compromise with Mr. Trump undermined amid squabbling about how to pay for it and derailed by the president's anger at their investigations of his policies and conduct.

Over the past three years, as the White House's carefully laid plans for infrastructure-related events have repeatedly been thwarted or overshadowed by the scandal of the day, the phrase "Infrastructure Week" has become something of a joke and a metaphor for any well-intentioned proposal doomed to go nowhere. ...

At its two-year anniversary, the bipartisan infrastructure law continues to rebuild all of America (November 2023)
www.brookings.edu

... November 15, 2023, marks the two-year anniversary of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) becoming law. After decades spent waiting for Congress to pass such a historic infrastructure bill, this is certainly a celebratory moment. But considering we're now 40% of the way through the law's authorizing period, it's also a moment to take stock of our progress.

It's typically difficult to track large spending bills, and with 452 unique funding pots and over $850 billion in total funding available, the IIJA should be no different. Fortunately, the Biden administration continues to prioritize data transparency by publishing the law's detailed award data. It's not hyperbolic to say the American public has never had a better view into the actual funding progress for a federal infrastructure law.

So, at the two-year mark, where do we stand?

Based on our analysis of published White House data, IIJA implementation is just now hitting its stride. Formula and direct federal spending continue to move at a steady pace, already pumping $306 billion into state coffers and direct investment projects. And like an athlete who grows into a game, competitive grantmaking is steadily increasing, with 80% of all competitive funding still left to be awarded. Just as importantly, the Biden administration has shown no flagrant political bias in splitting awards among states -- certainly welcome news to the bipartisan legislators who authored the bill.

Overall, state and local stakeholders should feel motivated to keep pursuing federally funded projects to rebuild and reimagine their communities. With over half of the IIJA's 5,532 competitive awards coming in under $1 million -- and another 29% of awards falling between $1 million and $10 million -- eligible entities of all sizes can find programs that fit their needs and capacities. Yet with inflation and interest rates high, infrastructure builders need to be careful that they prioritize projects that can deliver the most value in the long run. There's more money than usual, but it's far from infinite. ...