‘Investing in ourselves:’ President Biden hails infrastructure law in Kansas City speech

President Joe Biden, visiting Kansas City to promote a coming wave of new federal spending on highways, bridges and other priorities, said now is the time for action to fix the nation’s aging infrastructure.

Biden spoke Wednesday at the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, where he singled out the city’s switch early last year to a “zero fare” transit system and its introduction of electric buses into its fleet. The remarks took place on the same day Biden ordered the federal government to become carbon neutral by 2050 as the world fights climate change.

“No more talking. Just action,” Biden said bluntly.

The infrastructure law, he said, marks the “the most significant investment” in roads and bridges in 70 years. The measure, signed by Biden last month, is ultimately expected to deliver $3.2 billion to Kansas and $7.9 billion to Missouri to address an array of needs, from transportation to water treatment to broadband internet.

“I know what this country can be,” Biden said. “We’ve always been a nation of possibilities. We didn’t become this nation by thinking small, we’ve always thought big. Throughout our history we’ve emerged from crisis by investing in ourselves, in our people.”

Biden’s visit to Kansas City, the first of his presidency, came as local leaders expressed hope about the infrastructure law’s power to make a significant difference when it comes to the area’s highways, bridges, public transit and water systems.

It will take years for the region to feel the full impact of the new federal funding, as major projects take time to implement. Still, officials have identified an array of possibilities for the money, from the future of the Buck O’Neil Memorial Bridge downtown to a future east-west streetcar line. Already, Kansas transportation leaders have said money from the law will aid the reconstruction of the 167th Street interchange on U.S. 69 in Overland Park.

As Biden arrived in Kansas City, the White House launched www.build.gov, which will operate as a clearinghouse of sorts for information about the new law. White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the site would provide a hub for governors, mayors, tribal owners, business owners, union members and Americans in general to learn more about the law and how to access resources for their communities.

Biden, who arrived aboard Air Force One at Kansas City International Airport, was greeted by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican who has emphasized infrastructure and signed into law the state’s first gas tax increase in decades, and Mayor Quinton Lucas, a vocal proponent of the new federal law who attended the White House signing ceremony.

A spokeswoman for Parson said the two men “briefly discussed their respective infrastructure priorities, which remains a top focus of Governor Parson. After welcoming the President to Missouri, the Governor returned to the State Capitol.”

Biden then spoke in a chilly KCATA bus barn to an audience of local dignitaries, transportation and frontline workers and reporters, flanked by large signs emblazoned with “Building A Better America.”

He touted the ways the newly signed infrastructure bill would aid the Kansas City metro area, referencing repair of the Central Avenue bridge in Wyandotte County and expansion of the Kansas City Streetcar.

“Here in Kansas City the possibilities are unlimited,” Biden said. “You’ve got the fastest growing port in the Midwest. You’re in the heart of the heartland for freight rail. You’re transforming your airport, you’re building a national hub, creating a cycle of jobs and growth that will be felt for decades. Making the right investments and you have the money to do it now.”

At the start of his remarks, Biden recognized Bob Dole, the former Kansas senator who died on Sunday, and Buck O’Neil, the former Kansas City Monarchs player and manager who was elected to the baseball Hall of Fame earlier this week.

“If the sun shines a little brighter on Kansas City this week it’s because Bob and Buck are up there sharing a laugh with one another,” Biden said.

Before the speech, Biden praised Kansas City’s electric buses during a briefing with transit officials and employees at a nearby body shop. “They’re something else,” he said.

Kansas City has been adding electric buses to its fleet. The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority already committed years ago to replacing diesel vehicles with compressed natural gas buses in an effort to reduce emissions.

Since early 2020, Kansas City’s bus system has also been operating fare free — the first major metropolitan city to make its buses completely free. Biden called the zero fare and zero emission project a “great idea.”

“This is the type of transformative work we’re talking about when we say infrastructure,” Lucas said.

Biden is aggressively promoting the new infrastructure law amid flagging approval ratings and as congressional Democrats prepare for what’s expected to be a tough mid-term election year. The party that controls the White House often suffers losses in Congress in mid-term elections, and Democrats hold the House and Senate by only the slimmest of margins.

Republicans need to flip fewer than 10 seats to take back the House. In the Senate, Democrats and Republicans are evenly divided, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting tie-breaking votes in favor of Democrats.

Both Kansas City-area Democratic representatives supported the infrastructure bill. Kansas Rep. Sharice Davids has been an especially vocal champion of the law, and is expected to face a competitive race against Republican businesswoman Amanda Adkins in a rematch of the 2020 election. Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver has firm support from his district, though some Republicans have spoken about attempting to redraw his district to make it more competitive.

The two representatives traveled from Washington to Kansas City for the Biden event aboard Air Force One.

In a news release afterward, Davids said she spoke with Biden on the flight about the impact of supply chain issues on freight and cargo systems in the Kansas City area and a need for immediate action to lower costs.

Cleaver said in a statement that Kansas City — and the broader Midwest — were the perfect venues to emphasize the law’s benefits.

“It’s the working class who will benefit from safer roads, cleaner drinking water, better broadband, and, of course, good paying-jobs — and that’s why I was so proud to support the bill,” Cleaver said in a statement.

The Environmental Protection Agency has already announced Missouri is set to receive $147 million and Kansas $79 million next year to improve water infrastructure.

Cleaver’s office has said in Missouri the money will help to remove lead service lines from schools, households and public buildings throughout the state. In Kansas, a report produced by Davids’ office has said priority projects in her district include the Indian Creek Nall Hills Flood Risk Reduction Project in Overland Park and Wyandotte County stormwater treatment facilities in need of immediate maintenance.

“These are the things our country needs so we can move on, so we can make progress,” Davids said.

The bipartisan law divided Kansas and Missouri’s congressional delegations. Sen. Roy Blunt, who is retiring, voted for the bill, but every other Missouri Republican voted against it, along with Democratic Rep. Cori Bush. No Kansas Republicans voted for the measure.

Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, decried the bill even as he said he hoped Missouri received money under it. “It’s a terrible bill that is full of just outrageous pork barrel spending and the far left agenda including canceling energy jobs,” Hawley said.

In Kansas City, Lucas has said projects that could receive help under the infrastructure law include fixing bridges, building a solar farm at Kansas City International airport, and expanding the KC Streetcar to the east and west. City spokeswoman Maggie Green said the city has not made a final priority list for projects it will pursue as it waits on federal guidelines for the infrastructure bill.

“I can’t take one more phrase that it’s going to be infrastructure week,” Biden said. “Guess what, it’s going to be infrastructure decade.”

The Star’s Jeanne Kuang and Cortlynn Stark contributed to this report.