The future of American infrastructure is set in motion as U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announces a series of grants totaling over half a billion dollars. These 76 newly approved grants, part of a massive backlog totaling more than 3,200 projects left from the Biden–Buttigieg era, aim to address a spectrum of infrastructure challenges. The Department of Transportation confirms that this latest financial injection, surpassing $607 million, contributes to the current administration's efforts to restart the stalled structural revitalization of the nation.
Accompanying this flurry of activity, Secretary Duffy took the opportunity to critique the previous administration, attributing the project stagnation to their heavy-handed implementation of "wasteful social justice and green mandates." According to an official statement from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Duffy said, "The last administration claimed to ‘build back better,' but they didn't build back anything." The Secretary accuses the past leadership of driving up costs and delaying much-needed projects with their policies.
The current administration, under President Trump, has made it a priority to "get America building again." As the country grapples with an infrastructure that many consider outdated and ill-equipped to deal with modern demands, this latest round of grants marks a continued push towards tangible progress. To date, the Department of Transportation under Secretary Duffy has approved 405 grants. These grants, an infusion to American construction efforts, now total almost $5 billion and address approximately 13% of the backlog that awaited them upon taking office.
Blazing a new trail forward, Secretary Duffy promises that his department will operate at "lightning speed" to transition these grants from bureaucratic approvals to physical reality. "We'll continue to move at lightning speed to get shovels in the ground and projects up and running," Duffy emphasized, pointing towards a future where infrastructural delays are a relic of the past.
