Biden Lays Groundwork for Major Spending Bill on Infrastructure, Manufacturing

Joe Biden's National Economic Council (NEC) appointed a Massachusetts Institute of Technology manufacturing and economic development researcher (MIT) Elizabeth Reynolds as well as a former senior official of the Greater Boston Transportation Authority, Samantha Silverberg, according to a White House official.

This came as the White House is laying the groundwork for a major spending bill, which is to be unveiled after the release of Biden's $1.9 trillion relief.

Reynolds has studied topics including growing the domestic manufacturing base, while Silverberg led the development of the transit upgrade program at the Massachusetts Bay.

They join Leandra English, a former head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, who is now NEC's Chief of Staff.

The U.S. president pledged to put together a historically perse team and faced pressure from within his ranks to fulfill that promise in the early days of his administration.

Biden has regularly turned to consumer protection employees whose views align with Democrats, like Senator Elizabeth Warren, who has called for strict enforcement of the financial industry through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

He has pledged during his candidacy to invest $2 trillion in climate-resistant homes, broadband internet, as well as the manufacture of fuel-efficient cars and installing e-vehicle charging stations, boosting the country’s resilience to climate change.

The White House has not specified how close its legislative proposal will be to adhering to the "Build Back Better" agenda that Biden proposed as a candidate. Major decisions about the final cost of the plan and its contents have yet to be finalized by his team, according to several people familiar with the plans.

Infrastructure spending has backing in both parties. But Biden’s tax and spending plans have also drawn bipartisan push back. Former President Donald Trump unsuccessfully pushed for a major infrastructure bill during his term, which ended in January.

Infrastructure spending is supported by both parties. But Biden’s tax and spending plans also pushed the bipartisan back out. Former President Donald Trump unsuccessfully pushed for a major infrastructure bill during his term, which ended in January.