总统乔·拜登周二再次上路，作为向美国人进行为期多天的宣传的一部分两党基础设施法于去年通过，周二在纽约市停留，为Gateway Hudson隧道项目募集资金。
“这只是开始，”拜登说，他描述了该法律如何改变美国的基础设施。“这是最终建设21世纪铁路系统的开始，这个国家早就应该这样做了。该项目对于改造东北走廊、提高速度、容量、可靠性和安全性至关重要。”
周二，拜登在西区铁路场宣布从基础设施法中拨款2.92亿美元，以完成哈德逊隧道项目的关键早期阶段，该项目旨在改善纽约和新泽西之间的交通。
根据白宫的说法，该项目“将产生72，000个高薪工作岗位，修复1910年开放的旧北河隧道，在帕利塞兹河、哈德逊河和曼哈顿滨水区下方修建一条新隧道，并提高新泽西运输和美国国家铁路客运公司20万工作日乘客的可靠性”。
白宫告诉美国广播公司新闻，到目前为止，拜登政府已经宣布从1.2万亿美元的基础设施法案中拨款超过1850亿美元。这笔钱将用于7000多个项目，包括修建和修复道路、桥梁、港口和机场;投资清洁能源和清洁水;清理遗留污染;并为高速互联网接入提供资金，根据白宫的说法，到今年年底，政府预计项目总数将远远超过2万个。
参议院多数党领袖查克·舒默(Chuck Schumer)周二在拜登的家乡州加入拜登，嘲笑前总统唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)无法实现同样的目标。如果拜登竞选连任，正如他预计的那样，他可能再次面对特朗普——迄今为止唯一宣布参选的共和党候选人。
“四年来，前总统一直在铲你知道什么，现在我们要把真正的铲子放到地上，由真正的美国工人来使用。这是上届总统任期的基本对比，”舒默微笑着说。"现在就登上乔·拜登快车吧，因为我们不会停下来."
在介绍拜登时，舒默称总统为“美国国家铁路客运公司先生”
“这是这个国家最大最重要的项目之一，”拜登说，缓和了人们的期望。“但这需要时间。这是各州和联邦政府之间数十亿美元的努力，但我们终于有了钱，我们将完成它。我向你们保证，我们会完成任务的。”
这次推销铁路基础设施的旅行发生在周一在巴尔的摩的一次类似露面之后，一周之后拜登将发表国情咨文，这是拜登首次与众议院新获得权力的共和党多数派在国会联席会议上发表讲话。
拜登作为参议员每天往返于威尔明顿和华盛顿州之间，他说他已经在美国国家铁路客运公司旅行了100多万英里，知道当交通准时运行时，经济如何运行得更强劲。
“为了拥有世界上最好的经济，你必须拥有世界上最好的基础设施，”他补充道。
在纽约州，拜登与州长凯西·霍楚尔、新泽西州州长菲尔·墨菲、参议员柯尔斯顿·吉利布兰德、参议员科里·布克、参议员鲍勃·梅嫩德斯和交通部长皮特·布蒂吉格以及其他地方领导人一起出席了会议。
拜登周一访问了巴尔的摩，启动了一项60亿美元的铁路隧道重建项目，该项目主要由两党基础设施法资助;据白宫称，联邦资金可能高达47亿美元。新隧道将取代老化的巴尔的摩和波托马克隧道，并消除白宫所说的新泽西和华盛顿特区之间的最大瓶颈
他和副总统卡玛拉·哈里斯计划周五前往费城，讨论拆除铅管——由基础设施法资助的另一项倡议——以结束为期一周的强调联邦基础设施投资的活动。
Biden touts infrastructure improvements in New York City
President Joe Biden hit the road again Tuesday as part of a multi-day pitch to Americans on the benefits of the bipartisan infrastructure law passed last year, stopping Tuesday in New York City to tout funding for the Gateway Hudson Tunnel Project.
"This is just the beginning," Biden said, as he described how the law was transforming American infrastructure. "It's the beginning of finally constructing a 21st century rail system that's long, long overdue in this country. This project is critical to transforming the Northeast Corridor, increasing speeds, capacity, reliability and safety."
From the West Side Rail Yard, Biden announced $292 million in funding from the infrastructure law Tuesday to complete a critical early phase of the Hudson Tunnel Project intended to improve travel between New York and New Jersey.
The project "will result in 72,000 good-paying jobs, rehabilitate the old North River Tunnel which opened in 1910, build a new tunnel beneath the Palisades, Hudson River, and the waterfront area in Manhattan, and improve reliability for 200,000-weekday passengers on New Jersey Transit and Amtrak," according to the White House.
So far, the Biden administration has announced over $185 billion in funding from the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, the White House told ABC News. That money is going to over 7,000 projects -- ranging from building and repairing roads, bridges, ports, and airports; to investing in clean energy and clean water; cleaning up legacy pollution; and funding access to high-speed internet -- and by end of the year, the administration expects the total number of projects to far exceed 20,000, according to the White House.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, joining Biden in his home state Tuesday, mocked former President Donald Trump for being unable to achieve the same. If Biden runs for reelection, as he's expected to do, he could again face Trump -- the only Republican candidate to so far declare candidacy.
"For four years, the former president was shoveling you know what, and now we're going to put real shovels in the ground, wielded by real American workers. That's the basic contrast between this presidency in the last," a smiling Schumer said. "Get on the Joe Biden express now because we are not stopping."
Introducing Biden, Schumer called the president "Mr. Amtrak."
"This is one of the biggest most consequential projects in the country," Biden said, tempering expectations. "But it's going to take time. It's a multi-billion-dollar effort between the states and the federal government but we finally have the money and we're going to get it done. I promise you, we're going to get it done."
The trip to tout rail infrastructure comes after a similar appearance Monday in Baltimore and one week before Biden's State of the Union -- the first time Biden will address a joint session of Congress with the newly-empowered Republican majority in the House.
Biden, who commuted daily between Wilmington and Washington as a senator, said he's traveled more than one million miles on Amtrak and understands how the economy runs stronger when transportation runs on time.
"To have the best economy in the world, you have to have the best infrastructure in the world," he added.
In New York, Biden was joined by Gov. Kathy Hochul, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Bob Menendez, and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, and other local leaders.
Biden visited Baltimore on Monday to kick off a $6 billion rail tunnel reconstruction project primarily funded by the bipartisan infrastructure law; federal funding could reach up to $4.7 billion, according to the White House. The new tunnel will replace the aging Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel, and remove what the White House says is the largest bottleneck between New Jersey and Washington, D.C.
He and Vice President Kamala Harris plan to travel to Philadelphia on Friday to discuss removing lead pipes – another initiative funded by the infrastructure law -- to cap off a week highlighting federal investments in infrastructure.
