Gov. Janet Mills and members of Maine’s congressional delegation were in attendance at the White House on Monday as President Biden signed the historic, $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.
Maine is expected to receive $1.5 billion for road, highway and bridge projects from the bipartisan measure. Public transportation programs in Maine are slated to receive an additional $234 million over five years while airports will receive $74 million.
But the bill also contains hundreds of billions of dollars for more hidden infrastructure. According to estimates provided by the White House, Maine will receive at least $100 million to expand broadband internet access and nearly $400 million to improve drinking water infrastructure.
All four members of Maine's congressional delegation – Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King and Democratic Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden – voted to support the $1.2 trillion infrastructure measure. Mills has hailed passage of the long-awaited infrastructure measure as a critical investment for state and local governments.
“This once-in-generation investment will help us fix our roads and bridges, expand high-speed broadband, improve access to clean drinking water, and build a cleaner, more sustainable transportation network – all while putting Maine people to work in good-paying jobs,” Mills said in a statement after the bill signing. “With this transformational legislation and the unprecedented funding we dedicated through the state budget, Maine is on the right path to tackling our longstanding infrastructure problems and strengthening our economy. It was an honor to participate in the signing of this historic bill, and I thank the President and Maine’s Congressional Delegation for their work to get it done.”
Collins, meanwhile, was among 10 senators who negotiated the framework of the spending plan and serves as the top-ranking Republican on the Transportation Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
“This infrastructure package is good for America,” Collins said in a statement. “Earlier this year, I joined a group of 10 Senators—five Republicans and five Democrats—who were determined to break through the partisan gridlock and pass this long-overdue infrastructure investment for the American people. Months of bipartisan negotiations produced a truly transformational package for our country that will make the most significant investment in American infrastructure since the establishment of the Interstate Highway System in the 1950s. By working collaboratively and across the aisle, Congress demonstrated that it can deliver real results for the American people.”
Collins, King, Pingree and Golden also attended Monday’s bill signing at the White House.
