Ahead of a bipartisan meeting today between President Joe Biden and members of Congress, including Mississippi U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, the White House released a state-by-state “fact sheet” that Administration officials say highlights the urgent need in every state across the country for the investments proposed by the President in the American Jobs Plan.
“The fact sheets highlight the number of bridges and miles of road in each state in poor condition, the percentage of households without access to broadband, the billions of dollars required for water infrastructure, among other infrastructure needs,” the White House release states.
The Mississippi-specific report (shown below) says there are 1,386 bridges and over 5,840 miles of highway in poor condition. It highlights various infrastructure aspects, including public transportation.
“Mississippians who take public transportation spend an extra 87.7% of their time commuting and non-White households are 2.9 times more likely to commute via public transportation,” the report states, adding, “41% of trains and other transit vehicles in the state are past useful life.”
The report points out the state’s risk for extreme weather events, saying the Biden plan will help improve resiliency in infrastructure. It also points to Mississippi’s need to improve drinking water, housing options, child care facilities, and broadband expansion.
In addition, the White House report says manufacturers account for more than 16% of total output in Mississippi, employing 147,000 workers, or 12.5% of the state’s workforce, and adds that as of 2019, there were 20,985 Mississippians working in clean energy. Biden’s plan advocates for organized labor and climate change initiatives, saying the American Jobs Plan will provide “good paying union jobs advancing clean energy production by extending and expanding tax credits for clean energy generation, carbon capture and sequestration and clean energy manufacturing.”
Overall, the White House report gives Mississippi a D+ grade on its report card.
“For decades, infrastructure in Mississippi has suffered from a systemic lack of investment,” the White House reports says. “The need for action is clear: Mississippi’s infrastructure received a D+ grade on its Infrastructure Report Card.”
You can read the full Mississippi report from the White House below.
AJP State Fact Sheet MS by yallpolitics on Scribd
Frank Corder
