President Joe Biden speaks to reporters at the White House on January 30, 2023
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden on Tuesday will unveil a $292 million grant to build a tunnel under the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey, part of his plan to contrast his economic vision with that of the Republican Party.
The move is part of $1.2 billion in grants awarded under the infrastructure bill passed in 2021.
Biden’s visit to New York City comes the day after a similar one in Baltimore where he pushed for the replacement of a deteriorating rail tunnel there and promised that public infrastructure spending will create jobs and spur economic growth.
“When Americans see all these projects across the country, they get an extremely important message: when we work together, there is nothing we can’t accomplish,” Biden said Monday. “There is nothing that is beyond our capabilities.”
Biden’s travels loom as a contrast against the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives. Republicans are demanding deep cuts in government spending in exchange for approving an extension of the national debt limit, believing that government spending hinders economic growth and prevents a balanced budget.
The new Speaker of the House of Representatives, Republican Kevin McCarthy, is scheduled to meet with Biden on Wednesday with the intention of demanding cuts in government spending despite the White House’s insistence that Biden will not negotiate an increase in the debt ceiling.
“I don’t think there’s anybody in America who doesn’t think there’s some waste in Washington that we can eliminate,” McCarthy said Sunday in an interview with CBS News.
For government officials, the Hudson River project demonstrates what would be lost if government spending is cut. In all, the construction will generate about 72,000 jobs, according to the White House.