Election year homework: Building the future all communities deserve

Historically, federal funds have often bypassed the people and places where critical infrastructure investments are needed most.

This high-stakes election year has us preoccupied with some critical homework — how to deliver on the promise of huge policy wins that miraculously overcame partisan division over the past three years while also advancing significant, next-wave reforms.  

A choice between very different futures is on the ballot in November. Many civic leaders know how vital it is to invest in communities — including infrastructure that can promote healthy outcomes and lessen the impacts of climate change. From safe drinking water to affordable transportation options, cleaner energy, innovative flood protection and more, the federal investments unfolding across the nation today are bigger than any since the interstate highway system was created in the 1950s.  

Despite many voters being unaware and others being skeptical of public investments, there’s much to celebrate, thanks to landmark federal legislation, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.  

But early use of that massive funding points to a key concern: too many capital projects in too many places reflect business-as-usual thinking. Historically, federal funds have often bypassed the people and places where critical infrastructure investments are needed most. That’s felt most by the 100 million Americans, from every racial group and corner of the country, who live in poverty, earning less than $30,000 for a family of four.  

Bold, transformative approaches are needed to make sure everyone has the opportunity to improve their lives and become more resilient to extreme weather all around us. Disrupting the winner-takes-all storyline is the only way to ensure Black and other disinvested communities most impacted are not further harmed, and that every person can access the opportunities they deserve. 

In November, elected leaders need to hear a clear message: We must move forward faster and more boldly, not fall back.  

Most decisions to invest differently sit with governors or local officials, both elected and appointed, or with the heads of special-purpose authorities — such as airports, seaports and water districts. We applaud public officials who consult local community leaders, employers, researchers and unions in setting investment priorities. 

But our work in very different organizations over decades has led us to this conclusion: Status quo systems don’t consider everyone’s needs when deploying infrastructure investments. They won’t get the job done. Delivering on the promise of this moment requires civic action and change at multiple levels.  

We need to elect leaders committed to deeper, more systemic reforms, both at the federal and state levels — leaders who understand that when a house is flooding, you don't just grab a mop, you call a plumber. We need leaders primed to build on the wins of the past three years who can push us farther and faster. They can do this by investing in the workers who will build and make the things that drive the next economy, providing “predevelopment” funds so disinvested communities can tailor investments to their needs, providing more robust technical assistance and infrastructure investment standards and “future-proofing” precious physical assets by adopting climate resilience standards with teeth.  

The next Congress and the president must work together to make these changes real for everyone. One example: President Biden’s executive order on Justice40 — setting a goal that 40 percent of the benefits of federal investments in climate action go to disadvantaged communities — is historic and commendable. But it is only guidance, a set of principles and targets. For Justice40 to deliver at scale, it must become binding; and that means winning changes in law and regulations. 

For example, take the state of Georgia; not just an electoral battleground but a powerful proving ground. In 2020, Black voters turned out in high numbers to elect senators who provided two critical votes for the Inflation Reduction Act, which passed on a razor-thin majority and dramatically expanded public and private investment in clean energy. Now, northwest Georgia, which has voted Republican for decades, is home to the largest solar manufacturing plant in the hemisphere. Our noisy debates aside, green jobs are not partisan. They can enrich every community.  

To make infrastructure investments worthy of America, our election-year homework is clear: vote for candidates who will ensure that historic public investment delivers benefits to everyone, and push for the next wave of significant reforms in policy and how it gets implemented. The stakes are high today and for future generations.    

Xavier de Souza Briggs is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, former city planning professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and former White House official.  Jerry Maldonado is vice president of programs at PolicyLink. Shelley Poticha is a special advisor to the NRDC Action Fund.