Biden Announces $16B Investment in Rail Projects
Facts
- Pres. Joe Biden on Monday in Delaware announced more than $16B in federal investment in rail travel along Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor of the US.1
- The funding comes from the president’s 2021 infrastructure law, which promised more than $66B for passenger rail investment.2
- The plan includes $3.8B to restore the Hudson River Tunnel between New Jersey and New York and $4.7B to replace parts of The Frederick Douglass Tunnel in Maryland, which will reportedly see the train's maximum speed reach 110 mph — up from its current 30 mph.3
- In total, the administration will direct funds to 25 passenger rail projects between Boston and Washington, DC, a corridor that serves 260M people a year.4
- The funds are scheduled to be distributed incrementally, with $9B appropriated in the fiscal year 2022-2023 and the remaining $7.4B in the future.3
Sources: 1Associated Press, 2The News Journal, 3The Hill and 4Business Insider.
Narratives
- Democratic narrative, as provided by The New York Times. The president is continuing to fulfill the promises he made to improve the country and grow the economy. Recent polling that shows him trailing former Pres. Donald Trump focused mostly on the economy, so Biden is going to continue showing the public how much his administration is accomplishing in that realm while Republicans attempt to cut crucial funding for vital projects.
- Republican narrative, as provided by Daily Caller. This funding is another Democratic handout to a company that’s never turned a profit and probably never will. This money will probably land in the hands of Biden’s union lackeys, who still get paid large salaries at Amtrak despite the company always being in the red. Democrats never stop foolishly spending taxpayer money.