Biden Details $2 Trillion Plan to Rebuild Infrastructure and Reshape the Economy
President Biden introduced a $2 trillion plan on Wednesday to overhaul and upgrade the nation’s infrastructure, calling it a transformational effort that could create the “most resilient, innovative economy in the world.” White House officials said the proposal’s combination of spending and tax credits would translate into 20,000 miles of rebuilt roads, repairs to the 10 most economically important bridges in the country, the elimination of lead pipes from the nation’s water supplies and a long list of other projects intended to create millions of jobs in the short run and strengthen American competitiveness in the long run. They said the plan would also accelerate the fight against climate change by hastening the shift to new, cleaner energy sources, and would help promote racial equality in the economy. The provisions would improve wages, internet service, drinking water and commute times, Mr. Biden said. ( The New York Times - Mar. 31, 2021)
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Biden's Billions for Higher Ed
President Biden unveiled his new infrastructure legislation plan Wednesday, proposing billions of dollars for higher education over eight years. The plan —which is about $2 trillion in total —would give $12 billion to updating infrastructure in community colleges and $50 [billion] to the National Science Foundation. Historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions would also be in for more funding under the proposal. The plan calls for a $10 billion investment in research and development and $15 billion to create 200 research incubators at those institutions, with the framing that those investments could eliminate racial and gender inequities in R&D and STEM. Of the $40 billion dedicated to improving research infrastructure and laboratories, half would be set aside specifically for HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions. ( Inside Higher Ed - Apr. 1, 2021)
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Biden Proposes $250 Billion Investment in Research
President Joe Biden proposes spending $250 billion on the U.S. research enterprise over the next several years as part of a plan to rebuild the country’s infrastructure, create jobs, and outinnovate the rest of the world. A fact sheet issued in advance of Biden’s speech today in Pittsburgh names a host of federal research agencies that would receive pieces of that largesse but provides few details. It targets $180 billion specifically for “R&D and the technologies of the future,” along with an additional $70 billion in research-related areas ranging from combating pandemics to bolstering innovation in rural areas. Several of the new programs appear to dovetail with legislation having similar goals that has recently been introduced in the House of Representatives and the Senate, often with bipartisan support. ( Science Magazine - Mar. 31, 2021)
***See also, the following related news item:
- Biden’s Infrastructure Plan Includes Billions to Develop Emerging Tech the Military Needs - C4ISRNET - Mar. 31, 2021)
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Infrastructure Year: Dems Brace for Brutal Slog to Pass Biden’s $2.5T Plan
President Joe Biden’s first big legislative package sped through Congress. The next one could take at least half a year to pass—if it can get to his desk. Biden and Hill Democrats on Wednesday began a months-long sprint to pass a $2.5 trillion bill to shore up the nation’s physical infrastructure, paid for by hiking taxes on corporations. Republicans are already balking, dismissing Biden’s attempted outreach as disingenuous, and preparing a messaging campaign against the package that will almost certainly force Democrats to go it alone as they juggle competing wish lists from their members across the ideological spectrum. Absent a seismic political shift, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will have to draft a sprawling bill that can only afford to lose three Democratic votes in the House and zero in the Senate. ( Politico - Mar. 31, 2021)
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EPA Dismisses Dozens of Key Science Advisers Picked under Trump
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan will purge more than 40 outside experts appointed by President Donald Trump from two key advisory panels, a move he says will help restore the role of science at the agency and reduce the heavy influence of industry over environmental regulations. The unusual decision, announced Wednesday, will sweep away outside researchers picked under the previous administration whose expert advice helped the agency craft regulations related to air pollution, fracking and other issues. Critics say that, under Trump, membership of the two panels—the EPA’s Science Advisory Board (SAB) and Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC)—tilted too heavily toward regulated industries, and their positions sometimes contradicted scientific consensus. ( The Washington Post - Mar. 31, 2021)
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Pandemic to Cost NASA up to $3 Billion
A NASA audit concluded that costs imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic on the agency could reach $3 billion, with several major science and exploration programs accounting for much of that cost. A March 31 report by the NASA Office of Inspector General (OIG) stated that the agency expects that the pandemic’s effects on the agency, ranging from closed facilities to disrupted supply chains, to be nearly $3 billion. Of that, about $1.6 billion came from 30 major programs and projects, defined by NASA as those with a total cost of at least $250 million. ( SpaceNews - Mar. 31, 2021)
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