President Biden is expected to unveil his massive infrastructure plan tomorrow. He will make his $3 trillion dollar pitch from Pittsburgh.
It is expected to contain rural broadband.
Ag groups say that roads, bridges, and water systems will be a key, but even some Democrats are questioning the size and cost, especially since it comes on the heels of the $2 trillion dollar pandemic package.
Republican Senator Chuck Grassley says that whatever the plan includes, it needs to go beyond road transportation for agriculture.
According to Sen. Grassley, “We need to make sure that the infrastructure on the Mississippi River, Illinois River, and as far as Sioux City on the Missouri River is included in that as well.”
Those river lock systems are key to the Midwest’s competition on a global scale, and efforts to modernize them have spanned decades. Any improvements to the lock system require approval from the Army Corps of Engineers.
Related:
A massive infrastructure bill could be a hard sell
Keep rural America in mind when forming new infrastructure plan
Bridging the digital divide in rural America requires an investment in infrastructure workforce
An investment in infrastructure is an investment in agriculture