Infrastructure Investment

In 2021, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave America’s infrastructure a cumulative grade of C-, with the cost of repairing the system at nearly $2.6 trillion. Without action, ASCE estimated that our crumbling infrastructure would cost the average American household $3,300 a year by 2039. On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed into law the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a bipartisan bill including approximately $1.2 trillion in spending. This historic legislation invested billions in rebuilding our roads, bridges and railways; expanding access to clean drinking water; tackling the climate crisis; and much more. It was a critical step in the right direction, but more work remains to be done.

Rebuild Schools

Research shows a correlation between the quality of school facilities and student attendance and achievement. The proposed Rebuild America’s Schools Act would create a $100 billion grant program and $30 billion tax credit bond program dedicated to repairing, upgrading and rebuilding our nation’s schools. State and local governments should make additional investments through bonds or other means.

Energy Efficiency and Decarbonization

Burning fossil fuels to heat and cool buildings is the source of 31 percent of all U.S. carbon emissions, and public school, college, hospital and city buildings are all enormous energy consumers and greenhouse gas emitters. Investing in our infrastructure offers the opportunity to repair our crumbling public buildings, transition to clean energy and save resources for the primary missions of schools, universities, hospitals and cities.

The historic Inflation Reduction Act reimburses up to 60 percent for the cost of clean energy projects. The AFT encourages all local affiliates to participate in efforts to advance implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act to support decarbonization and the clean energy transition. Furthermore, the AFT will pressure states to enable every community to make the clean energy transition and decarbonize public services. Every state should support such efforts across their public infrastructure.