Along with 15 other governors on Wednesday, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee called on President Joe Biden to work with states as partners and provide states with maximum flexibility to determine the best use of Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funds.
“As governors, we understand the importance of long-term planning, balanced budgets, and certainty to the projects in our states best suited for investment,” the governors wrote in a letter to the president. “We agree that the programs should get implemented ‘without unnecessary bureaucracy and delay to rebuild America’s infrastructure’ and that red tape should not stand in the way. Therefore, we ask that your Office of Management and Budget (OMB), along with the respective federal agencies charged with implementation, draft regulations and guidance that defer to the states and confer maximum regulatory flexibility.”
The letter argues that in order for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to be successful, states and the federal government must work together to make sure funds are used in the best manner for states while also avoiding “red tape.”
“Excessive consideration of equity, union memberships, or climate as lenses to view suitable projects would be counterproductive,” the letter further states. “Your administration should not attempt to push a social agenda through hard infrastructure investments and instead should consider economically sound principles that align with state priorities.”
Governor Lee and the governors concluded, “We stand ready to work with OMB to ensure the IIJA has long lasting improvements to our nation’s infrastructure and is not plagued with burdensome, administrative red tape that will counter actual improvements and meaningful results.”Governor Lee is joined on the letter by governors from the states of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.
Lee is joined on the letter by governors from the states of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Gov. Bill Lee” by Gov. Bill Lee. Background Photo “Joe Biden” by U.S. Department of the Interior CC BY-SA 2.0.
