Kansas, Missouri would get billions for highways under Senate infrastructure proposal

Kansas would receive $3.2 billion and Missouri $7.9 billion to upgrade highways, bridges, broadband coverage and public transit under the massive bipartisan infrastructure deal set for a Senate vote soon, the White House said Wednesday.

The $1 trillion spending package holds the potential to deliver significant funding, especially for highways, as Missouri in particular struggles to maintain its transportation network. Details of the proposed investments come as Kansas and Missouri senators — all Republicans — weigh how they’ll vote.

More than 7,500 miles of highways in Missouri and nearly 2,000 miles in Kansas are in poor condition. Under the bill, Missouri would get $6.5 billion and Kansas would get $2.6 billion for highways.

“We have been pretty clear about benefits that will help every community,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Wednesday. “Replacing lead pipes, making sure people have access to broadband, making historic investments in climate.”

She added that if the infrastructure bill becomes law, states will both be allocated cash directly and also have a chance to apply for grants for additional funding.

“It will, of course, take a little time to get that implemented,” Psaki said. “But we’ll be eager to get that done as soon as the bill is signed into law.”

If the proposal becomes law, it would create a windfall in roads funding for Missouri. The General Assembly, with the help of Gov. Mike Parson, approved the state’s first gas tax increase in more than 20 years. It adds 2.5 cents to the current 17-cent-per-gallon tax — among the lowest in the nation — beginning in October and gradually rises over the next five years to a 12.5-cent-per-gallon hike.

The federal package also includes $484 million for Missouri and $225 million for Kansas in bridge repair and replacement funds. According to the White House, more than 2,190 bridges in Missouri and 1,321 bridges in Kansas are in poor condition.

The proposal allocates at least $100 million for each state to bolster broadband access. The lack of high-speed internet has drawn significant attention from Kansas legislators and Gov. Laura Kelly, who opened the Office of Broadband Development last year. At least $145 million has already been set aside for broadband expansion in Kansas.

The legislation also includes $90 million for Missouri and $40 million for Kansas to expand electric vehicle charging stations. Missouri would get $677 million and Kansas would get $273 million to aid public transit.

The release of the Missouri and Kansas figures comes amid a broader push this week from the White House to promote the bipartisan infrastructure package, which needs the votes of 10 Republican senators to avoid a legislative process known as the filibuster.

The administration has dispatched members of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet, including Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, across the country this week to sell the bill. Other liberal groups allied with the White House have also begun spending millions of dollars in ads promoting the bill.

Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, who isn’t running for re-election, voted last week in favor of starting debate on the measure. Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran voted against proceeding, saying the bill text wasn’t ready, but he was also among a bipartisan group of senators who endorsed an early infrastructure framework.

Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley and Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall both voted against moving toward debate. Hawley told Missourinet last week that he is not “inclined to spend trillions of dollars in new federal money” on projects that he said are unrelated to infrastructure. Marshall told Fox News over the weekend that “right now, I’m a no” but called for changes in how the package would be paid for.

Passage of the legislation is a top priority for Biden, who has spent months negotiating with GOP lawmakers over its provisions in an attempt to show that bipartisan dealmaking is still possible in Washington.

The president is simultaneously trying to pass a larger, multi-trillion-dollar spending package with only Democratic votes, through a budgetary process known as reconciliation. That measure is expected to include huge sums of money earmarked to combat climate change and boost child care subsidies, though lawmakers are still negotiating the exact size and contents of the legislation.

Roarty reported from McClatchy’s D.C. bureau.