The November 21 NIB Zoom Town Hall provided an exciting platform to lay out a positive way forward for the country. Ellen Brown, Founder Public Banking Institute; Andy Kunz, President and CEO US High-Speed Rail Association, were joined by elected officials, to discuss “High Speed Rail, Jobs, and the National Infrastructure Bank.”

This exciting forum outlined a bold plan to build United States infrastructure and finance a long-overdue National High-Speed Rail (HSR) network, which will stimulate a resurgence of U.S. manufacturing and jobs, building upon the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), CHIPS Act, and IRA. 

The rest of the world travels along corridors of HSR. Why not the U.S.? Andy Kunz presides over the premier advocacy group and trade association in the United States promoting HSR. He is a national award-winning designer, who has testified in Congress, and appeared on a host of national media promoting this policy. 

It will cost well over $1 trillion to build an initial U.S. HSR network. The BIL has less than $10 billion for high-speed rail. At the current spending rate, it will take over 100 years to build a system. China has 26,000 miles of high-speed rail and the U.S. still has zero! 

U.S. infrastructure is in a state of systemic decline. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law helped slow that decline, but it was far too small, and will expire in 2026. Enormous U.S. budget deficits and mounting debt make even renewal of that minimal amount unlikely. Hence the need for an off-budget solution. 

Ellen Brown elaborated on her recently penned article in ScheerPost on the infrastructure crisis in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the National Infrastructure Bank and Public Banking.

The National Infrastructure Bank, as outlined in U.S. House bill H.R.4052, will have $5 trillion to invest in all infrastructure projects, including $1.1trillion for HSR. H.R.4052 currently has 42 sponsors.

Coming out of the dramatic election on November 5, this forum is just what the Nation needs to provide a bold path of real economic expansion. Please watch this important webinar. 

Speakers: 

Alphecca Muttardy, former Senior Economist, International Monetary Fund, Fairfax, Va 

Ellen Brown, Esq., Founder Public Banking Institute, Los Angeles

Andy Kunz, President and CEO, US High Speed Rail Association, DC

Assemblywoman Maryjane Shimsky, New York Assembly, Dobbs Ferry

Senator Bill Tallman, New Mexico Senate, Albuquerque

Moderator: Julie Olsen, small business owner, Chair Progressive Caucus, Alaska Democratic Party, Anchorage, AK