President Biden stops in Wisconsin touting bipartisan infrastructure plan
President Biden speaks about the infrastructure plan while in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
LA CROSSE, Wis. (FOX 9) - President Biden stopped in La Crosse, Wisconsin Tuesday, touting a bipartisan deal with senators on a bill to spend a billion dollars on construction and manufacturing. And it could have big impacts on Minnesota.
The president toured the La Crosse Transit Center to highlight historic investments in transportation and construction. The plan comes after a deal last week with Senate Republicans to break out an infrastructure-only bill.
Minnesota Senator Tina Smith said she wants to see more come out of the bill.
"I do support this bi-partisan compromise, and I think we have to go beyond it," she said.
The framework calls for $109 billion to build roads and bridges, as well as $65 billion for internet broadband expansion, $49 billion for transit, and $55 billion for water projects, including removing lead service connections.
"It is going to make a big difference to Minnesota because it will be more dollars to improve our crumbling roads and bridges, more support for public transit, which is really important - including in rural parts of the state - and significant investments to close the digital divide and to make broadband available to everyone," Sen. Smith said.
The plan also invests $7.5 billion for 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations across the country and another $7.5 billion for clean-powered buses.
"We're going to be expanding into electric buses, and that's great for Minnesota because we make electric buses here in Minnesota at the new flier facility up around St. Cloud," Sen. Smith said.
Congress will now take up a separate bill on childcare, climate change, and education.