Biden Announces $1.2 Billion in Mega Grants as Republicans Target ‘Wasteful Spending’ in Debt Cap Standoff

President Joe Biden talks to reporters after returning to the White House in Washington on Jan. 30, 2023. Biden had traveled to Baltimore, Maryland, to talk about how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's funds are slated to help replace the 150-year-old Baltimore to Potomac Tunnel. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

President Joe Biden on Jan. 31 announced nearly $1.2 billion in mega grants for a series of infrastructure projects, including $292 million to build a new rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey, which comes amid a government borrowing limit standoff with Republicans who are pushing for spending curbs.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) said in a release that Biden has announced that nearly $1.2 billion has been awarded from the National Infrastructure Project Assistance (Mega) discretionary grant program for a total of nine projects nationwide.