Infrastructure Agreement Filled With Billions for Green Energy, Racial Justice Projects

The bipartisan infrastructure bill contains billions of dollars to remedy supposed racial injustice and combat climate change.

The Washington Free Beacon obtained a messaging document circulating among Senate offices to rally support. Much of the document, which is aimed at winning over skeptical GOP lawmakers, appears to be taken word-for-word from a Biden administration fact sheet posted on the White House website on Wednesday. With costs exceeding $1 trillion, the bill promises a variety of ambitious initiatives, including the replacement of “all of the nation’s lead pipes.”

“Currently, up to 10 million American households and 400,000 schools and child care centers lack safe drinking water,” the messaging document says. “The deal’s $55 billion investment represents the largest investment in clean drinking water in American history, including dedicated funding to replace lead service lines. … It will replace all of the nation’s lead pipes and service lines.”

A section of the bill, called “Reconnecting Communities,” offers $1 billion of dedicated funding to rebuild “street grids, parks, or other infrastructure,” including highways, that “divided” black communities when initially constructed. The bill specifically names highways such as I-81 in Syracuse, New York, that would be rebuilt around black communities, rather than through them. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg previously said that “there is racism physically built into some of our highways.”

The document boasts of the “largest investment in clean energy in history,” which includes building a new “clean, 21st century electric grid” and billions of dollars “for supply chains for clean energy technologies.” The Department of Energy would also be tasked with creating a “digital climate solutions report, including potential for use of artificial intelligence as a climate solution.”

Residents along Amtrak’s Acela corridor will enjoy $6 billion for track maintenance, as part of the “largest federal investment in public transit in history.” Another $60 billion will be given for general passenger and foreign rail funding.

A separate document obtained by the Free Beacon explains how the government will finance the new spending. Most of the sources of revenue appear to be from a variety of accounting tricks, such as the $2.9 billion “from extending available interest rate smooth options for defined benefit pension plans.” Those who support the plan expect another $28 billion to come from “applying information reporting requirements to cryptocurrency.”

The largest portion of funding comes from the “repurposing of certain unused COVID relief dollars,” totaling $205 billion. Another $53 billion comes from “certain states returning unused enhanced federal [unemployment insurance] supplement.”

The bill advanced Tuesday night with a vote of 67-32. Every Democrat in the Senate voted “yes,” as did 17 Republicans, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.). With two-thirds support, the bill is expected to pass the Senate without a GOP filibuster.

Former president Donald Trump lashed out against Republicans who supported the deal, calling Sen. Mitt Romney (Utah), who led negotiations between the two parties, a “SUPER RINO.”

“This will be a victory for the Biden administration and Democrats, and will be heavily used in the 2022 election,” said Trump. “It is a loser for the USA, a terrible deal, and makes the Republicans look weak, foolish, and dumb.”