Billions slated for Mississippi in White House infrastructure plan

The state of Mississippi would see billions of dollars for a wide range of infrastructure projects under a recently unveiled plan from the White House.  

Under President Joe Biden’s American Jobs Plan, the White House is proposing about $2.3 trillion in infrastructure funding and other improvements across the country. 

The upgrade and repair of city, county and state water infrastructure is among the priorities of the plan, according to the White House which says it is committed to investing about $4.8 billion in the state for that purpose over the next 20 years. It also says it will pump another $50 billion to states to protect infrastructure from extreme weather events. 

The details of the plan — broken down by state — were released Monday by the White House and are based, in part, on last year's annual report from the American Society of Civil Engineers, which gave the state a grade of D+ on infrastructure.

"Over the past 15 years, our infrastructure systems have faced numerous, unprecedented challenges in the form of hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts and floods. ...To continue to raise, retain and attract the best and brightest, Mississippi must invest in strategic infrastructure efforts," the American Society of Civil Engineers report concluded. 

The plan covers several infrastructure-related projects in the state, such as investments in roads and bridges, public transportation and broadband. It also promises investment in other public programs, including housing, caregiving, child care, manufacturing and veteran health. 

The plan announcement comes as city of Jackson officials continue to scramble to secure millions of dollars in funding to fix the city's outdated water treatment and distribution system. A list of deficiencies at the plant led to the city's worst water crisis in recent memory, leading to a water shortage for most water customers and a boil notice that lasted about a month. 

The plan would also invest $600 billion in the nation's roads and bridges, noting over 1,300 bridges and over 5,800 miles of roads in Mississippi are considered in poor condition. 

Another $289 million is needed for schools, according to the White House report. Nearly a quarter of households in the state lack an internet subscription, and a similar percentage live in areas without broadband. The report stated Mississippians who use public transportation devote an extra 87.7% of their time to commuting, USA Today reported. 

Republican lawmakers have been quick to reject the proposal from Biden, saying just a fraction of the spending goes to traditional infrastructure, according to USA TODAY. 

“This is a massive social welfare spending program combined with a massive tax increase on small-business job creators,” U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker said recently on ABC’s “This Week.” Wicker is a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

 “I can’t think of a worse thing to do," he said. 

Contact Justin Vicory at 769-572-1418 or jvicory@gannett.com. Follow @justinvicory on Twitter.