Virtual Town Hall: National Infrastructure Bank
Chair Michelle Deatrick joined state, county, and local leaders from across the country for a national town hall on the proposed $5 trillion National Infrastructure Bank, hosted by the Coalition for a National Infrastructure Bank.
She described Michigan as ground zero for the nation's intersecting economic, climate, and infrastructure crises. Storms are heavier and more frequent, aging roads and water systems weren't built for the rain the state now gets, and Michigan ranks 40th in the nation for road conditions while investing less in public infrastructure than almost any other state.
"NIB is more than an infrastructure bill — it's a climate bill in disguise," Deatrick said. She pointed to the bank's major investment in passenger rail, high-speed rail, and urban mass transit, and pictured fast, hourly trains linking Detroit, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, and Lansing along corridors Michigan already has. The bank would also fund renewable energy, grid upgrades, and lower-carbon construction materials like clean cement.
The Council has endorsed the National Infrastructure Bank, and the DNC adopted a resolution supporting it at its August 2025 meeting in Minneapolis.
Other speakers included Lansing Mayor Andy Schor, Rhode Island State Senator Louis DiPalma, New York Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon, and former IMF Senior Economist Alphecca Muttardy.
