President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan infrastructure bill into law Monday afternoon, calling it “truly historic” and touting members from both sides coming together after months of uncertainty.
“I ran for president believing it was time to rebuild the backbone of this nation, which I characterize as working people in the middle class,” Biden declared to a crowd of roughly 800 people who began to chant “Joe!” when he took to the podium. “They are the ones who built the country. And to rebuild the economy from the bottom up and the middle out, this law delivers on that long overdue promise in my view. It creates better jobs for millions of Americans.”
The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill passed the House late in the evening on November 5. Six Democrats voted against the bill, but the 13 Republican “yes” votes pushed the bill through. The bipartisan infrastructure bill previously faced months of delays as factions of the Democratic Party clashed with each other over the other part of Biden’s agenda, the pricier Build Back Better bill.
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Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Republican Sen. Rob Portman and Vice President Kamala Harris were among those who spoke before Biden at the bill signing. Those in attendance included both Republican and Democratic lawmakers who played a role in the bill as well as “governors, mayors, state and local elected officials, labor leaders, business leaders and other stakeholders,” according to the White House.
“The bill I’m about to sign into law is proof that despite the cynics, Democrats and Republicans can come together and deliver results. We can do this. We can deliver real results for real people,” Biden said.
“I know you’re tired of the bickering in Washington,” the president added. “Frustrated by the negativity and you just want us to use and focus on your needs, your concerns and the conversations that are taking place at your kitchen table.” (RELATED: Pelosi’s Plan To Pass $1.75T Spending Package, Infrastructure Bill Collapses Amid Objections From Dems’ Moderate, Left Wings)
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Biden offered a message of hope to the American people, declaring that “America is moving again” and promising that “life is going to change for the better.” He also mentioned his Build Back Better bill, which the White House hopes will pass the House before Thanksgiving. This part of Biden’s agenda has an uncertain future, though, as key moderates like West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin – who attended Monday’s bill signing – have consistently expressed concerns over its price tag amid inflation as well as some of its contents.
“I have a lot of concerns, let’s put it that way,” Manchin said on Fox News earlier in November. “They’re working off the House bill. That’s not going to be the bill I work off of.”
An ABC-Washington Post poll released Sunday found that Biden has a 41% approval rating. The poll also found that 63% of those polled felt Biden has achieved “not very much” or “little or nothing” so far in his presidency – despite the bipartisan infrastructure bill passing Congress.
Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure bill focuses on improving roads, bridges, ports, waterways, broadband access and more.