What the Infrastructure Bill Reveals About Today’s Policymaking Environment

(Photo by iStock/Douglas Rissing)

Now that President Joe Biden has signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law, it’s worth pausing to consider the lessons civil society learned from the debates, negotiations, and compromises that got the bill over the finish line.

First, for those of us in the nonpartisan public policy space, we should be pleased to see that the pulse of bipartisanship still beats, even if weakly. Thirteen Republican representatives joined 215 Democrats to vote for the bill, ensuring its passage. This followed a bipartisan vote in the Senate, where 19 Republicans joined 50 Democrats in voting for the bill. And although some may argue that the process weakened the bill (or didn’t weaken it enough), the fact remains that Americans throughout the country will benefit from the investments being made in critical areas, such as broadband, flood-ready infrastructure, and our nation’s parks, among other elements.

Take the provisions to strengthen broadband, for example, which include an unprecedented investment of $65 billion dedicated to broadband infrastructure, devices, digital literacy, and affordability. Currently, 20 million Americans don’t have access to high-speed internet service, and millions more can’t afford it even when they do. Even though this was a problem long before the pandemic, the impact of COVID-19 made the critical importance of connectivity clear and helped to sharpen the focus of policymakers to pursue solutions. By investing in broadband, especially in underserved communities, we open pathways to job opportunities, learning, and digital literacy, and, by doing so, prioritize economic growth and competitiveness, which is vital for our country.

Second, given the deep nature of America’s political polarization today, we should expect to see more deeply entrenched political debates for the foreseeable future. As my colleagues at the Pew Research Center have shown, the partisan gap has grown over the past few years between Democrats and Republicans on nearly all major issues, including the economy, racial justice, climate change, foreign policy, and other key areas. This split exists even when the public generally supports an issue, such as investing in the nation’s infrastructure.

In a survey conducted in September, for example, the Pew Research Center found that partisanship, more than any other factor, including where people live, influenced Americans’ views about infrastructure and how the government should respond to risks from extreme weather. Specifically, 62 percent of Democrats said it was important for the government to establish stricter standards to better withstand floods, major storms, and fires, but only 31 percent of Republicans said the same. Importantly, while this type of split makes policymaking more difficult, it also forces compromise, which we saw in this legislative effort.

This polarization might lead one to be concerned that data no longer matters in policymaking, which brings me to a final reflection on how data and evidence were used when bringing this legislation forward. At Pew, data drives our recommendations, and we were pleased to see the final bill include provisions for flood-ready infrastructure and conservation initiatives, in addition to broadband. Data still matters in public debate and policymaking, especially when research and evidence can show the costs and benefits of different types of public investments. For example, research has shown that every $1 invested in disaster mitigation by three federal agencies saves society $6. That is one reason that we advocated for the funding boosts in this bill related to pre-disaster mitigation. Another example can be found in Colorado, where after research showed that approximately 50 percent of reported car crashes in the past 10 years along a single stretch of U.S. 550 were related to wildlife, Pew worked with state leaders and partners, and through advocacy for the infrastructure bill, to address the problem. Through the bill’s funding for the nation’s first dedicated resources to construct wildlife crossings—$350 million nationwide over five years—the state will be able to work with local and tribal governments to reduce human and animal fatalities and injuries in the future.

The lessons from the experience of passing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act give those of us in the nonpartisan public policy space reason to be optimistic. Despite the divisiveness and lack of trust in government that have been a part of the American conversation in recent years, we can see how it’s still possible to advance major investments for the public good, and we must keep trying. Our sector has the ability to bring perspectives and facts to bear when those elements might otherwise get drowned out by partisan noise. So it’s imperative that we keep at it. It’s not easy, it’s messy, but it can get done. And our sector can make a difference and help move America forward in the years ahead.

Read more stories by Susan K. Urahn.