On Monday, Biden administration officials launched a rural infrastructure tour that will cover Alaska, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Washington and West Virginia.
The tour gives White House officials an opportunity to visit communities that have roads and bridges in need of rehabilitation. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told reporters on Monday that the Biden administration's goal is to tell people in rural communities that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) won't just benefit urban and suburban areas.
“It’s important for us to focus on rural America,” said Vilsack. “It’s an important part of America. It is critically important to the mission of America.”
On Monday, the Biden administration also released a Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Rural Playbook that breaks down opportunities for rural areas in the IIJA as a resource for state, local, tribal and territorial governments.
The White House said that the rural playbook provides information on the “what, when, where, and how to apply” for funding under the infrastructure law and identifies more than 100 programs funded. The rural playbook also builds on the guidebook the Biden administration released in January to help state and local governments access funding from the IIJA law.
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Source: The Hill
