The thing about politics is that when a spending measure or a bill are being debated, they dominate the airwaves.  However, once they are passed into law, the media focus shifts to the next political soap opera debate, leaving the implementation and rollout of the new bill as “back page filler” rather than “front page focus.”

This is exactly what has happened with the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and Infrastructure Bill.  Through the spring of 2021, we all listened to the often repeated talking points by Democrats and Republicans during the negotiations, the breakdown of negotiations, and the subsequent budget reconciliation process to ultimately pass the $1.9 Trillion ARP in March of 2021.  The front-page news was full of political soundbites claiming that what was included in the package was too little to be meaningful or too large and unfocused and would bring fiscal ruin to the country, but very little coverage actually spoke to what was in the $1.9 Trillion.

Then it passed and became relegated to the back pages of the media and our thoughts.  The front-page is now dedicated to an Infrastructure Bill and what it should or should not include, but before we become completely enthralled with the new round of mudslinging, we should spend some more time focused on the ARP.  The $1.9 Trillion ARP is packed full of opportunities for communities and organizations of all political affiliation that are interested not only in replacing lost revenues during the pandemic, or in offering new assistance programs, but also in getting a jump on improving their infrastructure and providing the returns to their communities of $2.50 for every $1.00 spent[1] that infrastructure investment provides.