Biden urges use of ARPA funds for transportation, public health at NLC conference

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden implored a large crowd of city, town and village leaders to spread the impact of funds provided by last year's American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and infrastructure law when he spoke at the National League of Cities' (NLC) Congressional City Conference Monday afternoon.

The ARPA legislation, which passed a year ago this month, contains $130 billion to be funneled directly through municipal and county governments. "As a former local official, I know that it matters having that flexibility and control to meet both the short-term and the long-term challenges you face," Biden said.

When NLC President Vince Williams noted how "cumbersome" it can be for small and midsized cities to access funds, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said, "We get it. We're going to make it easier," and he described visions of a user-friendly, more efficient "Common App"-inspired interface for applying for grants.

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