The American Jobs Plan, the Biden Administration’s $2 trillion infrastructure proposal, includes several provisions directly impacting corn growers. Rural Americans rely on reliable and safe infrastructure to effectively move their products and compete globally and roads, bridges, highways and waterways provide the first and last links in the supply chain.
The proposal’s $115 billion to modernize 20,000 miles of highways as well as roads and bridges would target the most economically significant large bridges and repair the worst 10,000 smaller bridges.
If approved by Congress, this funding would meet the needs of our crumbling infrastructure. The nation’s rural roads and bridges have significant deficiencies due to underfunding. 15 percent of the nation’s major rural roads have pavements rated in poor condition, 21% in mediocre condition, and 10 percent rated structurally deficient.
Congress will ultimately decide, and vote on, the provisions included in any infrastructure legislation. Discussions on Capitol Hill regarding an infrastructure package are currently taking place and NCGA is sharing corn farmer priorities with members of the House and Senate.