What's reportedly included in phase 1 of Biden's infrastructure plan


The White House is primed to unveil the first phase of President Biden's "Build Back Batter" economic agenda on Wednesday. Details are still vague, but The Washington Post was able to get a glimpse at some dollar figures ahead of the official release.
Two people familiar with the matter told the Post on condition of anonymity that the plan will total $2.25 trillion, with about $650 billion designated to rebuilding U.S. infrastructure, including highways, water systems, and transit agencies. Another $400 billion will reportedly be allocated to care for the elderly and people with disabilities, and $300 billion apiece will head to affordable housing and the revival of U.S. manufacturing. Research and development will get $180 billion, while clean drinking water, the electric grid, high-speed broadband, and workforce development and job retraining, will all receive their own $100 billion.
The Post's sources clarified that the figures could change by the time the White House rolls out the plan since officials are still making adjustments, but it appears the reported breakdown represents the gist of the package. Read more at The Washington Post.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Aug. 11 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Monday’s political cartoons include solar power shunned by Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin's appetite for Ukraine, and another distraction from the Epstein files
-
Celebrating Cézanne in Aix-en-Provence
The Week Recommends The beautiful city is paying tribute to its most famous son with a series of cultural events
-
Crossword: August 11, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
-
Trump officials reinstating 2 Confederate monuments
Speed Read The administration has plans to 'restore Confederate names and symbols' discarded in the wake of George Floyd's 2020 murder
-
Trump nominates Powell critic for vacant Fed seat
speed read Stephen Miran, the chair of Trump's Council of Economic Advisers and a fellow critic of Fed chair Jerome Powell, has been nominated to fill a seat on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors
-
ICE scraps age limits amid hiring push
Speed Read Anyone 18 or older can now apply to be an ICE agent
-
Trump's global tariffs take effect, with new additions
Speed Read Tariffs on more than 90 US trading partners went into effect, escalating the global trade war
-
House committee subpoenas Epstein files
Speed Read The House Oversight Committee has issued a subpoena to the Justice Department for its Jeffrey Epstein files with an Aug. 19 deadline
-
India rejects Trump threat over Russian oil
Speed Read The president said he would raise tariffs on India for buying and selling Russian oil
-
NY's Hochul vows response to Texas gerrymander
Speed Read Gov. Kathy Hochul has promised to play ball with redistricting that favors the Democrats
-
Texas Democrats exit state to block redistricting vote
Speed Read More than 51 legislators fled the state in protest of the GOP's plan to redraw congressional districts