Understanding the Economics of Investing in America: A Collection of Resources | The White House (2024)

Heather Boushey, Chief Economist, Investing in America Cabinet

Last Update: July 19, 2024

President Biden’s economic vision—Bidenomics—is about building the economy from the middle out and the bottom up. It starts with recognizing that in recent decades, the U.S. economy has seen rising inequality, mounting costs from climate change, and economic shocks like the pandemic and Great Recession. The pace of growth has been too slow and has delivered uneven benefits across our society. Economic policies have underestimated the importance of public investment for economic growth, equity, and wellbeing.

The three pillars of Bidenomics—making smart investments in America, empowering workers, and promoting competition to lower costs and help small businesses—were born from mounting evidence of the magnitude of these challenges. They are informed by a body of research that has shown that growing the economy equitably requires rethinking certain core economic assumptions, and instead expanding the productive capacity of the American economy through evidence-backed government investments. Taken together, these pillars will support strong, sustainable, and shared economic growth.

This post provides resources on the first pillar—investing in America—which is grounded in economic research about what investments need to be made and how those investments should be implemented in order to ensure sustained, equitable growth. The pillar includes investments in building the clean energy economy, manufacturing semiconductors domestically, and updating our infrastructure—all designed to support the middle class and re-establish a strong economic foundation in America, as opposed to benefitting those at the top and hoping those benefits trickle down.

Working with Congress, the President has signed into law three historic pieces of legislation to make this vision a reality—the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act. Each aims to make the U.S. competitive in critical industries and a leader in innovation and infrastructure.

Tracking the latest economic research and improving analytic data and measurement tools are paramount to successfully implementing these Bidenomics policies. In the coming weeks and months, we will share additional resources to help track the research that informs our policies, and the evidence for what has happened since they passed. This post will be a living compilation of those resources and metrics of success—we invite you to follow along and help us build a stronger, fairer economy for the long-haul.

I. An introduction to Investing in America

The Investing in America agenda is a series of investments in areas of the economy that are critical for national and economic security but underfunded by the private market, including infrastructure, clean energy, and research and development.

• The Biden-Harris Economic Blueprint (September 2022) lays out the President’s economic plan to rebuild the economy from the bottom up and middle out in a way that (1) empowers workers, (2) makes it and builds it in America, (3) gives families breathing room, (4) makes American industry more competitive, less concentrated, and more resilient, and (5) rewards work, not wealth.
• There are resources that lay out the core Investing in America legislation:
  • The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law guidebook is a roadmap to the infrastructure funding available, with program-by-program information.
  • The Inflation Reduction Act guidebook is an overview of the clean energy, climate mitigation and resilience, agriculture, and conservation-related tax incentives and investment programs.
  • The CHIPS Vision for Success provides detailed information about the program objectives across three categories: strengthening semiconductor supply chain resilience, advancing U.S. technology leadership, and supporting vibrant U.S. semiconductor manufacturing ecosystems.

II. The economic rationale for Investing in America:

The Investing in America agenda is grounded in economic evidence that explains why we are investing in these specific areas of the economy and why we are prioritizing people and places, fair markets, and strong supply chains.

• President Joseph R. Biden made the case for Investing in America in his remarks on Bidenomics (June 2023) and outlined how the Investing in America agenda grows the economy in every region of the country (October 2023).
• The Economics of Investing in America (July 2023) articulates the economic rationale for why the Investing in America agenda will spur stable, shared economic growth by investing in critical industries and infrastructure from the middle out and the bottom up.
• Senior Administration officials have spoken about the economic reasons to invest in America—including First Lady Jill Biden, National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard, Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden, Council of Economic Advisers Chair Jared Bernstein, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, Investing in America Chief Economist Heather Boushey, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and National Economic Council Director Brian Deese.
• An array of other resources, described below, make the case for specific aspects of the agenda…

1. Investing in Critical Industries and Infrastructure

Infrastructure investments are long overdue and support productivity and economic growth across industries.

• Modernizing U.S. Infrastructure: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (November 2021)
• Bringing Infrastructure into the 21st Century (November 2021)

Climate change is one of our greatest challenges, and decades of economic evidence supports building the clean energy economy as a solution that will lower emissions, grow the economy, and benefit workers and communities.

• Accelerating the Clean Energy Transition (March 2024)
• Full Charge: The Economics of Building a National EV Charging Network (December 2023)
• The Global Clean Energy Manufacturing Gap (November 2023)
• The Economics of Demand-Side Support for the Department of Energy’s Clean Hydrogen Hubs (July 2023)
• The Department of Energy Liftoff Reports on advanced nuclear, carbon management, clean hydrogen, and long duration energy storage
• Accelerating and Smoothing the Clean Energy Transition (April 2022)
• Supporting Economic Growth While Tackling Climate Change (November 2021)
• Innovation, Investment, and Inclusion: Accelerating the Energy Transition and Creating Good Jobs (April 2021)

Semiconductors are the building blocks of the modern economy, and domestic capacity to produce semiconductors is important for the resilience of our supply chains and imperative for economic growth.

• Remarks by Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo on The CHIPS Act and a Long-term Vision for America’s Technological Leadership (February 2023)
• The Economics Behind the President’s Economic Agenda (August 2022)

2. Investing in People and Places

The President understands that investing in people and places is vital for successfully implementing the Investing in America agenda, delivering strong and stable growth, and ensuring its benefits are shared.

• Description of the Justice40 Initiative
• Description of the Federal Interagency Thriving Communities Network
• Following Up on the Four Priorities of President Biden’s Workforce Strategy (April 2024)
• The Benefits of Full Employment (March 2024)
• Remarks by National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard on Place-Based Growth: Helping Communities Making a Comeback (January 2024)
• Good Jobs and Unions Will Help Build Our Workforce (September 2023)
• Biden-Harris Administration Roadmap to Support Good Jobs (May 2023)
• Remarks by President Joseph R. Biden on Building Healthy Communities and Advancing Environmental Justice (April 2023)
• Revitalizing Energy Communities Two-Year Report to the President (April 2023)
• Equitable Workforce Development for Infrastructure Jobs: A Guide to Federal Resources (November 2022)
• Care Businesses: A Model that Doesn’t Work for Providers, Workers, or Families (April 2022)
• Blocking the Low Road and Paving the High Road: Management Practices to Improve Productivity (April 2022)
• Investing in People: Education, Workforce Development, and Health (April 2022)
• Coal-dependent Communities in Transition: Identifying Best Practices to Ensure Equitable Outcomes (September 2021)

3. Strengthening Supply Chains

Resilient supply chains protect our economy from unexpected shocks and facilitate stable economic growth.

• Remarks by Senior Advisor John Podesta on Climate Change and Clean Energy Supply Chains (April 2024)
• Issue Brief: Supply Chain Resilience (November 2023)
• Brian Deese, John Podesta and Jake Sullivan on the Inflation Reduction Act (January 2023)
• Building Resilient Supply Chains (April 2022)
• Improving and Tracking Supply Chains Link by Link (November 2021)
• When the Chips Are Down: Preventing and Addressing Supply Chain Disruptions (September 2021)
• Why the Pandemic Has Disrupted Supply Chains (June 2021)

4. Shaping Markets to Be Fair and Competitive

Stable, shared economic growth requires policymakers to shape markets to avoid monopoly power and build industries that are productive and fair.

• The Price Isn’t Right: How Junk Fees Cost Consumers and Undermine Competition (March 2024)
• Empowering the IRS: Understanding the Full Potential of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Historic Investment in the Internal Revenue Service (February 2024)
• Investing in America to Create Fair and Competitive Markets (October 2023)
• Protecting Competition Through Updated Merger Guidelines (July 2023)
• Investing in America Means Investing in America’s Small Businesses (May 2023)
• The President’s Initiative on Junk Fees and Related Pricing Practices (October 2022)
• Recent Data Show Dominant Meat Processing Companies Are Taking Advantage of Market Power to Raise Prices and Grow Profit Margins (December 2021)
• Addressing Concentration in the Meat-Processing Industry to Lower Food Prices for American Families (September 2021)
• The Importance of Competition for the American Economy (July 2021)

5. Overcoming Barriers to Scaling Production

Overcoming barriers to scaling production is necessary to meet the needs of the moment with effective investments in America.

• Remarks by Senior Advisor John Podesta on the Biden-Harris Administration’s Priorities for Energy Infrastructure Permitting Reform (May 2023)
• The Biden-Harris Permitting Action Plan to Rebuild America’s Infrastructure, Accelerate the Clean Energy Transition, Revitalize Communities, and Create Jobs (May 2022)

6. Measuring Success of the Investing in America Agenda

Finally, central to our mission is tracking the progress of the Investing in America agenda through the latest data and research. That includes progress on empowering workers, making and building it in America, giving families breathing room, and making America more competitive, less concentrated, and more resilient. Invest.gov is a resource that maps the latest private and public investments, and provides relevant economic data at the national and state level.

• Federal Relief Funds Contributed to Academic Recovery Across the Country (July 2024)
• Building a Thriving Clean Energy Economy in 2023 and Beyond: A Six-Month Update (July 2024)
• Remarks by National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard on Lowering Costs for American Consumers (June 2024)
• U.S. Business Investment in the Post-COVID Expansion (June 2024)
• Investing in Places Historically Left Behind: Foreign Direct Investment in U.S. Clean Energy Manufacturing (June 2024)
• Recent Labor Market Conditions for Black Workers (May 2024)
• Affordable High-Speed Internet is Spurring Economic Growth and Boosting Small Businesses (May 2024)
• The Next Phase of Electricity Decarbonization? Planned Power Capacity is Nearly All Zero-Carbon (April 2024)
• Building on the Biden-Harris Small Business Boom (April 2024)
• U.S. Semiconductor Jobs are Making a Comeback (March 2024)
• The Inflation Reduction Act: A Place-Based Analysis, Updates from Q3 and Q4 2023 (March 2024)
• The Labor Market Recovery Has Been Strong Across the Country (January 2024)
• New Business Surge: Unveiling the Business Application Boom through an Analysis of Administrative Data (January 2024)
• A Strong Year for the Labor Market (January 2024)
• Building a Thriving Clean Energy Economy in 2023 and Beyond (December 2023)
• Ten Charts That Explain the U.S. Economy in 2023 (December 2023)
• The Inflation Reduction Act: A Place-Based Analysis (November 2023)
• Infrastructure Investment in the United States (November 2023)
• Job Gains in Construction After Two Years of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (November 2023)
• The Power of Empowering Workers: Reducing Racial Employment and Unemployment Gaps (November 2023)
• Bidenomics in Action: Clean Energy Jobs and Investments Taking Hold Across America (October 2023)
• Early Signs That Bidenomics is Attracting New Foreign Investment in U.S. Manufacturing (August 2023)
• The Economics of Public Investment Crowding in Private Investment (August 2023)
• Unsnarled Supply Chains Appear to Help Ease Goods Inflation (June 2023)