(Washington) Roads, bridges, high-speed internet, education, energy transition and climate protection: Joe Biden’s two major investment plans submitted to the House of Representatives on Friday promise to transform the United States.
Here are the main measures of the infrastructure plan, which must be definitively adopted, and of the “Build Back Better” plan, which has yet to be validated by the Senate:
Infrastructure
The $ 1.2 trillion plan provides for the construction, modernization or maintenance of thousands of kilometers of roads, bridges, dams, locks on rivers and canals, as well as the construction of cycle paths or pedestrian paths and investments in airport projects.
Rail passenger transport will be modernized, with the creation of new links between cities, in particular by high-speed train.
High-speed internet access, which is very expensive in the United States, will be extended to rural areas and new regulations are planned to lower prices or help families who cannot afford it.
Thousands of kilometers of new power lines will also be built, with energy produced from renewable sources.
Investments are also planned in research on new technologies: CO capture2, “Clean hydrogen” and nuclear energy.
A component on the clean-up of areas containing toxic waste, abandoned mining lands and gas wells that have not been plugged, as well as the replacement of water pipes that contain lead is also on the agenda. .
The plan will finance measures to mitigate the impact of climate change, by improving the adaptation of populations to natural disasters (fires, floods, hurricanes).
School buses will go zero-emission and a national network of charging stations will be developed to stimulate the electric vehicle market.
Finally, measures concern the fight against cyber attacks, which recently targeted the distribution of fuel.
“Build Back Better”
The gigantic social component of Biden, endowed with at least 1,750 billion dollars, provides free access to a school structure for children aged 3 and 4, and childcare costs which must not exceed 7% income from a household.
The current child tax credit would be extended for households earning up to $ 150,000 per year.
It also offers parental leave or leave for family or medical reasons of four weeks.
“Resilience” investments are planned to cope with extreme weather events such as forest fires, droughts, and hurricanes.
It includes tax credits for green energy concerning the production, transport and storage of renewable energies, as well as the production of so-called “clean” vehicles for individuals and professionals.
Targeted incentives will stimulate technological innovation in solar energy, batteries and advanced materials.
The plan proposes the extension of tax credits on health insurance options for the most disadvantaged Americans.
Medicare, a public health insurance scheme for those over 65 and those with lower incomes, would cover the costs of hearing care and could negotiate the prices of certain drugs with pharmaceutical companies.
Access to housing, including in rural areas, would be extended with the construction of more than a million houses for rent, assistance for the payment of rent and for a mortgage.