The Northeast-Midwest Institute has released a report this week, highlighting the overall impact of the Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act (IIJA) that was signed into law on November 15, 2021. The report is written by NEMWI Economics Intern Molly Lienemann, a Government/International Affairs, Languages, Literatures and Cultures, and French triple major at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The IIJA provides more funding for American infrastructure than ever before, and includes funding for electric vehicles, wildlife help, water infrastructure, and public transportation. The new law has led to the creation of thousands of jobs across various sectors and has proven to be beneficial for many Americans throughout the country.
The newly released NEMWI report includes five sections: reports analyzing the scope and types of infrastructure included in the IIJA bill; reports that assess the progress and pace of its implementation; reports that evaluate the impact on infrastructure in specific sectors such as highways, bridges, etc.; reports that highlight the economic impact of the bill; and reports that provide future recommendations for the IIJA. Twenty articles are included in the report from think tanks and government organizations that have been impacted, either positively or negatively, by the law.
While most of the responses and reports were found to be positive, a few flaws, such as impacts on chemists and engineers, were noted. Regarding the allocation of funds among states and enterprises, the Biden Administration has been successful in being unbiased and nonpartisan. The White House regularly posts updates on specific projects and state grants that the law has funded, which is a great tool for those who are interested in those details.
The IIJA represents a total of $1.2 trillion in new federal spending, with only one-third of this total expended so far. The new law continues through 2026, funding thousands of new projects and infrastructure renovations in the fifty states as well as all of the U.S. territories. The U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate have had very few committee hearings on the allocation of the IIJA funds.
The full report can be found here.