Today, the White House released an initial sketch of its anticipated infrastructure proposal. The American Jobs Plan is intended to jumpstart the economy through infrastructure investments in a wide range of areas from roads and bridges to research to workforce development. The $2 trillion plan includes a $180 billion investment in R&D, including:

• $50 billion in the National Science Foundation, in part to support a new technology directorate that pursues use-inspired fundamental research;
• $40 billion to upgrade research laboratories across the nation;
• $35 billion to achieve technological advancements that help address the climate crisis, including the launch of an Advanced Research Projects Agency-Climate that is modeled after DARPA and ARPA-E;
• $30 billion to increase innovation and job creation with a focus on underserved areas;
• $25 billion for R&D at minority serving institutions, including the creating of 200 centers of excellence that serve as research incubators that focus heavily on educating the next generation of STEM professionals.

The proposed investment dwarfs the important resources provided for research in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which followed the Great Recession. A second part of the plan focusing on investments in education and healthcare is expected in mid-April.