The Biden administration’s newly unveiled infrastructure plan, dubbed the American Jobs Plan, includes several proposed technology investments, $28 billion of which would target federal employees where they work.
While funding to upgrade federal agencies’ internal IT systems was concentrated in the American Rescue Plan—which resulted in less funding than the administration wanted but still garnered $1 billion from Congress for the Technology Modernization Fund—the American Jobs Plan includes key technology, cybersecurity and research and development funding requests.
The $2 trillion plan includes funding for improvements to U.S. buildings, such as housing, schools and federal buildings, particularly hospitals managed by the Veterans Affairs Department.
“The federal government operates office buildings, courthouses and other facilities in every state,” according to a fact sheet distributed by the White House, “where millions of workers serve the public from outdated, inefficient and sometimes unsafe working conditions.”
The plan calls for $18 billion to modernize VA hospitals and clinics and another $10 billion to focus on the “modernization, sustainability and resilience of federal buildings.” For the latter, the plan proposes the creation of a Federal Capital Revolving Fund, initially suggested in 2018 by the Trump administration.
The other major funding push with a federal technology component centers on the nation’s capabilities in research and development. The fact sheet notes significant investments from peer adversaries like China during a time when American investment has declined when looked at as a percentage of gross domestic product.
The plan requests $180 billion in new investments, including ..
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