Infrastructure improvements in store for rural America By Sean O’Neil Legislative Assistant In the fall of 2021, Congress and the White House were able to come to a rare bipartisan agreement on a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill titled the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The bill, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden on November 15,
2021,
includes
investments projects,
in
unprecedented
hard
including
infrastructure
many
in
rural
America, without levying new taxes. Of specific interest to the National Grange, the bill allocates $65 billion
include increased taxes on wealthy
of Representatives along party lines,
Americans, collectively titled the Build
but failed in the Senate as Democrats
Back Better bill.
were not able to overcome the 60-vote
As originally written, the package
filibuster threshold and, though they
included changes to capital gains and
supported the underlying legislation,
inheritance taxes which would have
Senators Manchin and Sinema did
negatively
farmers;
not join their Democratic colleagues
however advocacy from the National
in voting to eliminate the filibuster for
Grange
groups
voting rights legislation which would
successfully pressured Democrats to
have allowed the bill to pass with a
remove the proposed changes from the
simple majority.
impacted and
other
many farm
bill.
With the battle over elections reforms
The bill was similarly whittled down by
moderate
Democratic
Senators
including Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), and ultimately
resolved without any legislative action, Congress returned to some bills which had been simmering since early 2021. One example is the United States
Manchin declared that he would not
Innovation
support the bill in its current form.
(USICA), a bill which would increase
for roads and bridges, including a new
Democrats in Congress and the White
funding for domestic manufacturing and
$2 billion rural transportation grant
House have not given up on passing
research into key technologies such as
program, $66 billion for rail networks
some amount of the priorities contained
semiconductors, along with a number of
and terminals, $17 billion for ports
in the Build Back Better bill, and
other provisions intended to strengthen
and waterways, $55 billion for water
negotiations are ongoing behind closed
American
infrastructure, and $10 billion for a USDA
doors to resurrect key elements which
bipartisan group of Senators introduced
pilot program in partnership with land
are able to garner the necessary support
and passed in 2021.
grant universities to study the benefits of
from Democratic moderates.
to broadband expansion, $110 billion
using materials derived from agricultural commodities
in
the
production
of
consumer goods.
and
supply
Competition
chains,
which
Act
a
In late January 2022, the House
With President Biden’s Build Back
of Representatives finally offered its
Better bill stalled, Democrats in Congress
response to the Senate passed USICA
spent January moving onto other topics.
which includes a number of significant
To ensure that the money allocated
In
early
January,
Congressional
changes to the bill. Following the release
by the bill is spent in a way which
Democrats and President Biden made
of the House bill, Democratic leadership
actually solves the challenges facing
a move to pass a large elections reform
in the House and Senate made it clear
rural America, the National Grange will
bill which would have restored Justice
that they intend to reconcile both
be spending significant time over the
Department review of changes to state
versions of the bill and pass them quickly
next few years following up with the
election law in states with a history of
this Spring.
various federal and state agencies which
discrimination (as had been the case
Some Republicans have expressed
will be disbursing funds.
until reauthorization of the Voting Rights
concerns about the House version of
the
Act failed in recent years), expanded
the bill, and it is likely that significant
in
and created a federal standard for vote
changes will have to be made to ensure
November, Congressional Democrats
by mail and drop boxes, increased
that the final bill is able to overcome the
shifted their focus for December to a
early voting options, curbed large and
60-vote filibuster threshold in the Senate
larger spending package dealing with
anonymous political donations, and
and become law.
issues such as climate change and
allowed for same-day voter registration.
As well, bills which the National
welfare spending which would also
This bill was able to pass the House
Grange has supported in agriculture
Following bipartisan
the
passage
infrastructure
of
package
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