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As President Joe Biden’s $ 2 trillion infrastructure bill comes under fire from Republican leaders, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem offered a derogatory review of the proposal in a social media post shared Thursday.
Noem, a prominent Republican who some have already proposed as a potential presidential candidate in the next election cycle, specifically disapproved of the bill’s intention to expand Amtrak services in parts of the United States. national, created decades ago, would receive $ 80 billion. in federal funding as part of Biden’s sweeping plan to improve U.S. infrastructure and accelerate economic revitalization.
The president unveiled his proposal on Wednesday, dubbed the American Jobs Plan. It aims to invest in dozens of sectors and is committed to allocating significant resources to the construction of highways, bridges and roads, mass transit systems and environmentally friendly transportation alternatives, in addition affordable and supportive housing, small business, manufacturing and research efforts.
“Biden’s ‘infrastructure’ bill spends more on electric cars than it does on roads or bridges,” Noem wrote in a tweet Thursday morning. “He’s giving Amtrak $ 80 billion to build rail lines in every state EXCEPT Alaska, Hawaii or SOUTH DAKOTA. And it repeals the right to work protections that are proven to grow the economy.
Biden’s “infrastructure” bill spends more on electric cars than it does on roads or bridges.
It gives Amtrak $ 80 billion to build rail lines in all states EXCEPT Alaska, Hawaii or SOUTH DAKOTA.
And it repeals the right to work protections that are proven to grow the economy.
– Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) April 1, 2021
A spokesperson for Noem’s office did not explain the governor’s criticisms of access to national railways or how Biden’s infrastructure plan might influence that in South Dakota. Instead, the representative highlighted Noem’s general criticisms of the bill, which she made public both on Twitter and in recent interviews.
“Frankly, she can’t stand [the bill] either on the tax side or on the spending side, ”the spokesperson said in an email. Newsweek specifically inquired about Noem’s concern about Amtrak service, but did not receive a response.
Amtrak has never operated in South Dakota. The company currently serves most of the US states, outside of Alaska, Hawaii and Wyoming, in addition to South Dakota. Its rail network is extensive, although Amtrak’s presence is primarily concentrated along the East Coast, with many lines established in the Northeast and Great Lakes regions. Service becomes more scarce as railways move further west.
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
The rail company has released a map showing new routes on which it could expand service lines with funding allocated under Biden’s infrastructure plan. The destinations listed on the map represent areas where local authorities have already expressed interest in receiving Amtrak service, spokesman Marc Magliari said in comments to Newsweek Thursday afternoon.
Potential destinations include Cheyenne, the capital of Wyoming. Although there are currently no plans to extend the Amtrak lines in South Dakota, Magliari described his map as neither “proprietary nor prescriptive.”
“Other interested parties are invited to contribute their ideas and suggestions,” he said, referring to a letter to Congress from Bill Flynn, CEO of Amtrak, in January, outlining the goals of the company for wider expansion and requesting federal resources to support its efforts.
The destinations, and in a few cases the states, initially excluded from Amtrak’s network, were not decided by the company itself. When a national rail service was first developed under President Richard Nixon, federal transportation authorities determined which locations would receive and not receive rail service. At the time, Maine and Oklahoma were excluded alongside South Dakota and Wyoming.
The Biden administration is working to push for increased access to Amtrak service with its infrastructure bill, a White House spokesperson confirmed to Newsweek in a report.
“The President believes that Americans deserve a world-class passenger train. Our first priority is to fix the system we have, our second priority is to bring rail service to new cities and communities where the benefits of the investment outweigh the cost, ”the statement said. . “The plan includes a total of $ 80 billion in additional funding for rail programs. The plan also includes funding to support intercity passengers beyond the existing Amtrak network, such as new high-speed rail corridors or rail lines. long distance. “
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