U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg will visit Phoenix on Thursday to discuss the Biden Administration’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan. The Arizona Sun Times inquired with the DOT for further details of Buttigieg’s visit. They didn’t respond by press time.
Buttigieg is scheduled to host a press conference at 10 a.m. MST. During the press conference, Buttigieg is expected to address the infrastructure plan’s impact on tribal communities. In April, Buttigieg promised that tribal communities would benefit from the infrastructure plan’s investments into roads, broadband, water, higher education, and transportation.
“When we talk about equity, we’re thinking a lot about racial and economic justice,” said Buttigieg. “But we’re also thinking about stretches of this country that have too often been left out of the promises of this kind of great infrastructure.”
The infrastructure plan, dubbed the “Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework” by the Biden Administration, focuses on clean transportation, water, and power. In doing so, the plan prioritizes green initiatives like a national network of electric vehicle charging stations. It also seeks to implement universal broadband and eradicate legacy pollution.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework extends beyond the meaning of infrastructure in the traditional sense. It links infrastructure to other social and environmental issues such as union jobs, the climate crisis, sustainable economic growth, and equity.
Complementary to this expanded notion of infrastructure, Buttigieg classifies transportation as a civil right.
“Transportation is a civil right and at its best it is an engine of opportunity,” said Buttigieg. “If we want to remain the leading country in the world, we’ve got to make sure we have world-class infrastructure to match.”
Across the country, Americans are ready for a once-in-a-generation investment in infrastructure. pic.twitter.com/g8SbqYmFpg
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) July 9, 2021
On Tuesday, the U.S. Conference of Mayors announced their support for the infrastructure plan. Only 369 of over 1,400 mayors in the conference signed onto the letter of support. That’s not including all mayors nationwide – the conference itself only includes mayors with city populations of 30,000 or greater.
However, President Joe Biden and Buttigieg emphasized that the conference letter indicated majority support for the plan.
“Today, the U.S. Conference of Mayors – Republican and Democratic mayors from across the country – announced support for our bipartisan infrastructure deal,” tweeted Biden. “Mayors and governors know we need to get this done.”
Today, the U.S. Conference of Mayors — Republican and Democratic mayors from across the country — announced support for our bipartisan infrastructure deal. Mayors and governors know we need to get this done.
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 13, 2021
The live stream and recording of Buttigieg’s Phoenix visit will be made available to watch here:
– – –
Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and the Star News Network. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to [email protected].
