Infrastructure Investment

On Nov. 15, 2021, President Joe Biden signed into law the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), a bipartisan bill including approximately $1.2 trillion in spending. This historic legislation invested billions in rebuilding our roads, bridges and railways; expanding access to clean drinking water; tackling the climate crisis; and much more. It was a critical step in the right direction, but crucial infrastructure programs are now under threat due the actions of the Trump administration.

The American Society of Civil Engineers recently released the 2025 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. This report recognized the IIJA as setting a new standard for federal infrastructure spending and resulting in several different aspects of American infrastructure improving since the start of the Biden administration. Unfortunately, a significant 10-year infrastructure investment gap of $3.7 trillion remains. We need to sustain and expand investment levels provided by the IIJA in order to fund well-paying public sector jobs and deliver the first-class infrastructure system that working families deserve.

Energy Efficiency and Decarbonization

Burning fossil fuels to heat and cool buildings is the source of 31 percent of all U.S. carbon emissions; and public school, college, hospital and city buildings are all enormous energy consumers and greenhouse gas emitters. Investing in our infrastructure offers the opportunity to repair our crumbling public buildings, transition to clean energy and save resources for the primary missions of schools, universities, hospitals and cities.

The historic Inflation Reduction Act reimburses up to 60 percent for the cost of clean energy projects. The AFT encourages all local affiliates to participate in efforts to advance implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act to support decarbonization and the clean energy transition. Further, the AFT will pressure states to enable every community to make the clean energy transition and decarbonize public services. Every state should support such efforts across their public infrastructure.