As Biden Unveils Infrastructure Package, Unions Urge Unprecedented Federal Investments, Structural Economic Changes

In Pittsburgh on Wednesday, President Biden announced a sweeping, roughly $2 trillion plan for improving the nation's infrastructure and shifting to greener energy over the next 8 years.

The plan includes:

$621 billion for roads, bridges, public transit, rail, ports, waterways, airports and electric vehicles in service of improving air quality, reducing congestion and limiting greenhouse gas emissions;
$400 billion for home care services and workforce for aging and disabled Americans;
$300 billion for boosting manufacturing;
$213 billion for building, renovating and retrofitting more than two million homes and housing units;
$180 billion to advance US leadership in critical technologies and upgrade the US's research infrastructure;
$111 billion to rebuild the country's water infrastructure;
$100 billion to build new public schools and upgrade existing buildings;
$100 billion to build a high-speed broadband infrastructure in order to reach 100% coverage across the nation;
$100 billion to workforce development — helping dislocated workers, assisting underserved groups and getting students on career paths before they graduate high school; and
$18 billion to modernize the Veterans Affairs' hospitals.

The announcement brings us one step closer to delivering the aggressive changes we need to rebuild our country, said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. "Working people are continuing to bear the brunt of the greatest national crisis since the Great Depression, and any just recovery will require unprecedented federal investments in the working communities that have lost the most. It’s time for Congress to step up and deliver the funding we need to tackle the climate injustice, racial injustice and economic injustice facing working families while creating a new generation of well-paying union jobs."

"However, investments alone are far from sufficient. In order to shift the balance of power in favor of working people, we need to rewrite the fundamental rules of the economy. That’s why President Biden is calling on Congress to finally pass the PRO Act and strengthen our freedom to organize on the job. As we’ve said time and again, we can only build back better if union members are doing the building."