logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2021
14m 12s

President Biden's Next Big-Ticket Item: ...

NPR
About this episode
America's infrastructure GPA is a C-minus, according to the American Society Of Civil Engineers, which this month called for massive investment in the nation's roads, bridges and transit system.

The Biden administration is preparing to propose that kind of investment — along with green energy policies and progressive programs that would total more than $3 trillion. NPR's Mara Liasson reports on the plan, which Biden has signaled he wants to pass with Republican support.

That's just one political balancing act Biden will have to negotiate. Another is with a key part of his political coalition: labor unions. NPR's Don Gonyea explains.

Additional reporting in this episode from NPR's David Schaper.

In participating regions, you'll also hear from local journalists about what's happening in your community.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Yesterday
When old oil wells become 'orphans,' that's a problem
All across the U.S., there are aging oil and natural gas wells no longer in use.A lot of them don't have anyone on the hook to seal them up. Some estimate over a million such "orphan wells" still exist.Because they haven't been plugged, they're still leaking greenhouse gases and ... Show More
7m 58s
Jul 10
A harrowing journey to find food in Gaza
Israel bans international journalists from independent access to Gaza. But NPR's Anas Baba is from Gaza, and in the 21 months he has been reporting on the war, he's also been living it. Over the course of the war, he has lost a third of his body weight, and until his food supplie ... Show More
10m 31s
Jul 10
After devastating floods a Central Texas community comes together
It's been nearly a week since devastating flooding tore through Kerr County, Texas killing more than a hundred people.Now, after unimaginable tragedy, residents are coming together to help each other move forward.NPR's Juana Summers and producers Erika Ryan and Tyler Bartlam visi ... Show More
10m 53s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2021
Inside the Biden Infrastructure Plan
President Biden is pushing the boundaries of how most Americans think of infrastructure.In a speech on Wednesday, he laid out his vision for revitalizing the nation’s infrastructure in broad, sweeping terms: evoking racial equality, climate change and support for the middle class ... Show More
26m 4s
Apr 2021
How's Biden Doing
70 days into the first 100 days we take the temperature of the Biden presidency and ask how he's doing, and how he's doing so much. What made sleepy Joe such an active president? Is it him or the people around him? And how should the Republicans respond? Plus we discuss what it w ... Show More
38m 40s
Apr 2021
White House Adviser Heather Boushey on Biden’s big speech
President Biden tonight will address a joint session of Congress, during which he will try to sell legislators and the country on his third $1 trillion-plus plan since taking office just three months ago, the American Families Plan. Dan is joined by White House Council of Economi ... Show More
15m 39s
Aug 2021
Chris Meagher: The President’s Infrastructure Plan
Originally a reporter for the Santa Barbara Independent, Chris Meagher has worked for a number of prominent democrats. Most notably, he served as a communications advisor to Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and as the national press secretary during Mayor Pete Buttigeig’s Presidential ... Show More
37m 42s
Mar 2021
Biden's planes, trains and automobiles
Bipartisanship didn’t happen with Covid relief. But President Joe Biden says he really, really wants to go bipartisan on infrastructure — plus, he'll need the Republican votes. POLITICO Playbook co-author Rachael Bade calls up transportation reporter Sam Mintz to talk Biden's inf ... Show More
23m 18s
Sep 2021
The Democrats Who Might Block Biden’s Infrastructure Plan
The first year of a Congress is usually the best time for a president to put forward any sort of ambitious policy. For President Biden, whose control of Congress is fragile, the urgency is particularly intense.But now members of his own party are threatening to block one big part ... Show More
30m 47s
Nov 2020
The Joe Biden experience
Joe Biden will be the 46th president of the United States. And — counting the votes of people, not just land — it won’t be close. If current trends hold, Biden will see a larger popular vote margin than Hillary Clinton in 2016, Barack Obama in 2012, or George W. Bush in 2004.  Co ... Show More
1h 8m
Nov 2021
Biden’s Infrastructure Sales Pitch
Now that the bipartisan infrastructure bill is officially law, President Joe Biden and his administration are traveling around the country to sell its benefits to the American people. CNN Political Director David Chalian explains why these trips are important for Biden politicall ... Show More
6m 22s
Mar 2021
Biden Looks For His Place in History
Today, President Biden rolled out his first part of his huge plan to rebuild the nation's infrastructure and reshape the US economy. David Chalian explains what this gigantic proposal says about Biden's approach to the presidency. Plus, a reported investigation into Florida Repub ... Show More
7m 31s