• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

The Infrastructure Bill Explained

BrotherFease

DP Veteran
Joined
Jun 15, 2019
Messages
5,669
Reaction score
3,739
Location
Western New York
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Moderate
See the links down for more details. The legislation is projected to cost 2.3 trillion dollars. Biden and the Democrats want to raise the corporate income tax from 21% to 28% to pay for the bill. The legislation includes improving bridges, roads, power grids, federal buildings (including for veterans), helping out the elderly and poor communities of color, and moving toward a green economy. Biden said that the definition of "infrastructure" has changed for the 21st century and we need to worry about cyber security.

Republicans are dead set against the legislation. They don't like the tax increases and the believe the legislation is purely about social justice. Marsha Blackburn wrote on social media that she opposes the legislation because it gives 400 billion dollars toward elderly care. On the left, the socialists/far-left believe the legislation doesn't go far enough. They prefer the Green New Deal over this legislation.

Biden has said that he's willing to negotiate the tax increases. If no Republican signs onto the legislation in the Senate, then the bill lives or dies with Joe Machin and Krysten Sinema. According to Morning Consult/Politicio, 60% of Americans support the legislation. 65% of Americans would support increasing the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%.

Here's the contents of the legislation (per link):

INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS


— $115 billion to modernize the bridges, highways and roads that are in the worst shape. The White House outline estimated 20,000 miles (32,187 kilometers) of roadways would be repaired, while economically significant bridges and 10,000 smaller bridges would get fixed.
— $85 billion for public transit, doubling the federal government’s commitment in an effort to shorten the repair backlog and expand service.
— $80 billion to modernize Amtrak’s heavily trafficked Northeast Corridor line, address its repair backlog and improve freight rail.
— $174 billion to build 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations, electrify 20% of school buses and electrify the federal fleet, including U.S. Postal Service vehicles.
— $25 billion to upgrade air travel and airports and $17 billion for waterways and coastal ports.
— $20 billion to redress communities whose neighborhoods — typically nonwhite — were divided by highway projects.
— $50 billion to improve infrastructure resilience in the aftermath of natural disasters.
— $111 billion to replace lead water pipes and upgrade sewer systems.
— $100 billion to build high-speed broadband that provides 100% coverage for the country.
— $100 billion to upgrade the resilience of the power grid and move to clean electricity, among other power projects.
— $213 billion to produce, preserve and retrofit more than 2 million affordable houses and buildings.
— $100 billion to upgrade and build new schools.
— $18 billion to modernize Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics, and $10 billion for federal buildings.
— $400 billion to expand long-term care services under Medicaid.
— $180 billion invested in research and development projects.
— $300 billion for manufacturing, including funds for the computer chip sector, improved access to capital and investment in clean energy through federal procurement.
— $100 billion for workforce development.


TAX INCREASES
Biden’s plan would finance projects by:
— Raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%, one of the measures that over 15 years would cover the cost of the infrastructure program and then help to reduce the budget deficit.
— Imposing a 21% global minimum tax, so that companies cannot avoid taxes by shifting income to low-tax countries.
— Making it harder for businesses to merge with foreign companies to avoid U.S. taxes, a process known as inversion.
— Eliminating tax breaks for companies that shift assets abroad, and denying deductions for offshoring jobs.
— Imposing a 15% minimum tax on the income that corporations report to shareholders.
— Eliminating tax preferences for the fossil fuels sector.
— Increasing IRS audits of large corporations.


https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/wh...ism-infrastructure-bill-goes-too-far-n1263293

https://www.kezi.com/content/news/D...tructure-bill-means-for-Oregon-574156051.html
 
Back
Top Bottom