Biden signs $1.2T infrastructure bill with bipartisan audience

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, a bipartisan effort he described as a "monumental step forward" in modernizing the nation’s roads, railways and airports.

"My message to the American people is this: America is moving again, and your life is going to change for the better," Biden said at a ceremony at the White House, where 800 lawmakers, business leaders, and union officials gathered on the South Lawn to mark the rare bipartisan victory.

The bill, a central part of Biden’s economic agenda, will provide $12.5 billion in federal funding to repair New York roads.

The law also directs $685 million to improve the state’s airports, including $31 million for Long Island’s seven airports over the next five year years, according to figures provided by the White House.

The package allocates $9.8 billion to upgrade local mass transit systems throughout the state over the next five years.

Biden, who has faced declining approval ratings fueled by concerns over rising inflation and the continued presence of COVID-19, praised the infrastructure package as a victory for bipartisanship in an era of political polarization.

"For all the folks at home, I know this day matters to you as well," Biden said. "I know you’re tired of the bickering in Washington, frustrated by the negativity, and you just want us to … focus on your needs, your concerns, and the conversations that are taking place at your kitchen table."

Biden highlighted the role states and municipalities will play in directing the federal funds to public works projects. He gave a nod to a handful of governors and mayors on hand including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, and Bill de Blasio, the outgoing Democratic mayor of New York City.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), speaking at the White House event, ticked off a list of New York projects the law will fund.

The projects include the Gateway Tunnel, which will create a new rail tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey, improvements to the Cross Bronx Expressway and expansion of the Second Avenue subway line in Manhattan.

"For years, Americans were promised that an infrastructure bill was coming," Schumer said. "Today, we’re telling the American people that an infrastructure bill is finally here."

Former President Donald Trump touted his experience as a real estate developer in promising to deliver a sweeping infrastructure package, but his plans never materialized.

Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) and Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-St.Albans) were among the Long Island delegation members on hand for the bill signing.

Suozzi touting the infrastructure bill as, "once-in-a-generation legislation that will rebuild New York and put millions to work."

Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bay Shore), one of 13 House Republicans to vote for the infrastructure package, did not attend the ceremony.

Garbarino's office said he had "previous commitments in his district."

Police patrols around Garbarino’s office have been stepped up since last week, after a Lake Ronkonkoma man was charged with allegedly threatening to kill the freshman lawmaker over his vote for the infrastructure package.

Enactment of the legislation, passed by the U.S. Senate in the summer and the U.S. House last week, marked a key legislative victory for Biden.

A companion $1.75 trillion package focusing on "human infrastructure" including child care, elder care and climate change is Biden’s next legislative hurdle.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) speaking at the White House Monday, said the measure, known as the Build Back Better Act, will be voted on by the Democrat controlled House this week.

Schumer said the U.S. Senate, where Democrats hold a one-vote majority, would pass the measure "in the coming weeks."

Moderate and progressive Democrats have squabbled over the size and scale of the Build Back Better Act, with moderates including Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-Garden City) insisting a vote be held after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office delivers a report on the final cost of the measure.

The White House has said the measure will be fully paid for by a series of tax hikes on the nation’s top earners.

But moderates have said they want to ensure the CBO projections, set to be released Friday, are in line with White House estimates.