GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — Roughly $579 billion in financial help to fund crucial infrastructure projects across the country is being debated in Congress, and a coalition of North Carolina mayors have thrown their support behind the bill.
The bill is just a portion of a larger, nearly $1 trillion spending package proposed by President Joe Biden.
The bill, in its current form, will allot $579 billion for infrastructure projects that will involve transportation, the expansion of broadband access, and major upgrades to city and county pipeline systems that carry drinking water and sewage.
It has bipartisan support, including that from Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis.
If the bill is approved, $312 million is expected to go to infrastructure, with $109 million designated for repairs to roads, bridges, and highways across the country.
What remains will go to broadband expansion and pipeline repairs.
On Monday, a coalition of mayors from across the state, including Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan, voiced their support for the bill.
Vaughan highlighted how metropolitan areas, and rural communities, are seeing a large influx in population, and the current budgets are able to keep up with the stress it has put on current infrastructure.
“Our needs are outpacing our budget,” she explained.
Mayor of Salisbury Karen Alexander describes the impact being felt by rural communities, saying, “We have some rural communities that have seen population and job loses and as a result of that have had to defer water and sewer maintenance needs.”
To watch the full meeting, click here.
If passed, it’s still unknown how much money each state or city will receive.