President Joe Biden is set to visit Menlo, a Guthrie County town about 45 minutes west of Des Moines, to tout his infrastructure investments in rural Iowa, according to the Des Moines Register.
Since entering office, the Biden Administration has placed a large emphasis on helping the country recover from the coronavirus pandemic and rebuilding America’s crumbling infrastructure.
Two pieces of legislation Biden signed into law to address those issues are the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Act. ARPA provided nearly $4.5 billion in funds to the state of Iowa while cities and counties also received hundreds of millions. The infrastructure bill will bring about $5 billion to Iowa.
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Since last year, Starting Line has covered how and where some of those funds will be used in the state. Here are some of the ways the Biden Administration has helped Iowans:
For a great overview of Iowans’ impacted and dollars doled out under Biden, check out this piece:
https://new.iowastartingline.com/news/by-the-numbers-bidens-first-year-impact-on-iowans/
This story breakdowns how Iowans will benefit from ARPA:
https://new.iowastartingline.com/news/heres-what-iowans-can-get-out-of-bidens-covid-relief-law/
As part of ARPA, the Biden Administration bolstered the child tax credit:
https://new.iowastartingline.com/news/answers-to-common-questions-concerns-on-the-child-tax-credit/
ARPA funds will support a day-care project in Decorah:
In Marshall County, officials used ARPA funds to support child care and overall vaccine confidence:
https://new.iowastartingline.com/news/how-the-american-rescue-plan-has-helped-marshall-county/
Child care was also a priory for ARPA funds in Ottumwa, which also used the federal funds to support overall health care:
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The Field of Dreams outside of Dyersville again put Iowa in the national spotlight last year after Major League Baseball hosted a game at the tourist attraction. The site and two others across Iowa will benefit from ARPA dollars to help with water infrastructure:
https://new.iowastartingline.com/news/federal-rescue-plan-funds-boost-iowa-water-quality-projects2/
Some Iowa mayors already have ideas in mind on how to utilize the upcoming infrastructure dollars to improve their communities:
https://new.iowastartingline.com/news/mayors-on-what-the-infrastructure-package-means-for-iowa/
We could also use the help for deficient bridges, a category in which Iowa ranks as the worst in the country:
Another benefit of the infrastructure bill is the projected good-paying job boom expected to be created in its wake:
If you want one of those good-paying jobs, here’s a guide on how to get started:
While there have been a number of great projects federal funding from the Biden Administration has gone toward, there have also been some controversies on how officials have used those funds:
And here:
by Ty Rushing
04/11/22
Iowa Starting Line is part of an independent news network and focuses on how state and national decisions impact Iowans’ daily lives. We rely on your financial support to keep our stories free for all to read. You can contribute to us here. Also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
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