Biden admin slammed for missing deadline to implement key GOP priority in infrastructure

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Republican Reps. Darrell Issa and Ashley Hinson weigh in on possible challenges Democrats will face if Republicans retake House in midterms.

The Biden administration is being slammed for apparently missing a deadline to implement a key Republican provision of the bipartisan infrastructure law that Republicans say will streamline the permitting process for new projects.

The “One Federal Decision” provision of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was first introduced by the former Trump administration via executive action but was codified into law when Biden signed the bipartisan bill on Nov. 15. The provision, which is intended to move projects along with less red tape and fewer delays, gave the Biden administration 60 days to alert agencies of categorical exclusions, which reduces the timetable for environmental review of certain projects.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TOUTS ‘HISTORIC INVESTMENT’ IN BRIDGES THROUGH BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW

President Joe Biden holds his face mask and waves as he exits Air Force One at Capital Region International Airport, Oct. 5, 2021, in Lansing, Michigan. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci / AP Newsroom)

Republicans on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure worry that the delay will diminish the purchasing power of funding that is meant for infrastructure. They say the Jan. 14 deadline came and went without any public record that the administration fulfilled the requirement. They have submitted an inquiry to the administration about the deadline but have not heard back.

“One Federal Decision, included in the IIJA, was a major House Republican priority – that’s why we included it in our highway bill proposal last year,” ranking member Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “With inflation reaching historical levels, the administration needs to implement this major tax-saving, efficiency-boosting provision in the infrastructure law without any delays.

Rep. Sam Graves walks through the Capitol on Oct. 25, 2017. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

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“The Biden administration cannot be selective about the implementation of only pieces of the law and turn it into a one-sided Green New Deal in all but name,” Graves said. “T&I Committee Republicans will be leading oversight efforts to ensure that One Federal Decision is properly enacted as IIJA implementation efforts continue.”

“I introduced the One Federal Decision Act with my fellow Republicans on the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee because regulatory reform on major highway projects is long overdue,” Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “President Biden and his Administration need to fully implement OFD, but they’ve been more concerned about pushing tax hikes, spending increases, and a federal takeover of our elections instead of running the federal government in a competent fashion. Any delay in implementing OFD will cost taxpayers.”

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.