‘America is moving again.’ In Charlotte, Harris touts infrastructure spending

Vice President Kamala Harris visited Charlotte on Thursday to promote a newly-approved infrastructure spending plan — a key piece of legislation for President Joe Biden’s administration and one that will bring billions to North Carolina.

Her visit also aimed to drum up support for the administration’s next big priority: its $1.85 billion social policy bill. That would focus on reducing the cost of healthcare, child care and address climate change, among other things.

The infrastructure bill, she said, was “Part 1 of 2,” with the Build Back Better social bill being the latter.

Build Back Better faces a tough road in the Senate, though, which is split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, where Harris can cast a tie-breaking vote. While the infrastructure package received some bipartisan support, the social spending bill appears to face tougher opposition. It passed the House last month.

“This is our focus with Build Back Better,” Harris said in an interview with the Observer: “Working people right now are finding it very difficult to get through their day given all the burdens that they carry... Let’s make it more affordable.”

Harris celebrated the passage of the infrastructure bill while speaking at Charlotte Area Transit System’s garage and electric vehicle hub in South End, and spoke briefly with the Observer afterward.

“People rely on public transit for all kinds of reasons — to get groceries, to get to school on time, to get to work on time, to get to church on time,” she said. “A bus stop within walking distance can make all the difference, versus a bus stop you have to walk for half an hour to get to.”

What the bill could mean for Charlotte

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg also spoke during the event, saying the bill will help fund more climate-friendly public transportation systems in Charlotte that can connect communities with limited access to good-paying jobs.

Among the projects that could receive funding in North Carolina are $7.2 billion for highways; $457 million for bridges; $911 million for public transit and $100 million for broadband Internet.

Several Charlotte City Council members, Mecklenburg County commissioners and other politicians attended the event, including Mayor Vi Lyles, Gov. Roy Cooper and U.S. Rep. Alma Adams.

Cooper praised Biden’s administration for knowing “how to work in a bipartisan way.”

“At the beginning of the last administration, in 2017, we were told (infrastructure) was coming. It never did — until now,” Cooper said.

Within Charlotte, Adams said the money could be used for the city’s Silver Line light rail, to purchase more electric-power buses and to upgrade Interstate 85 and 77. The state is home to 1,460 bridges and over 3,116 miles of highway that are in poor condition, according to a memo from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Full video: Vice President Kamala Harris speaking in Charlotte

Some bipartisan support for infrastructure

The package, called the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, received some bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress. North Carolina Republican Sens. Thom Tillis and Richard Burr both voted for it, though no GOP member the state’s House delegation did.

“Because of their work, because of our work together, America is moving again,” Harris said. “Ultimately, that’s what infrastructure is all about — getting people moving.”

Republicans opposed to the bill argued that its scope is financially irresponsible and that it will further increase inflation.

Harris said she believed most Americans don’t see infrastructure improvements as a partisan issue. She pointed to people needing high speed Internet for online school, and for rural people to be able to video call with their doctor.

“(The bill) is about what we all could do to support the people who depend on their government to work,” Harris said. “It’s time we actually hear what they’re saying and get past the chatter of partisan politics.”

On the Build Back Better proposed social policy changes and spending, Republicans are stepping up criticism, saying such legislation will further national debt woes. Alex Nolley, communications director for the North Carolina chapter of the Republican National Committee, called the bill “disrespectful and unproductive for the American people.”

“Instead of trying to score political points on a taxpayer-funded PR tour, Kamala Harris should get back to Washington and work on solving the multiple crises facing our country,” Nolley said in a statement.

Harris acknowledged that high prices are making things harder for working families. She said the administration is focused on reducing prices by opening up ports and addressing supply-chain issues that became inflamed during the pandemic.

“During these almost two years, the pandemic had a real impact on the production of goods on the delivery of goods and the distribution of goods,” Harris said. “That does have an impact on price, so let’s deal with the real causes.”

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