A Government Accountability Office audit of the 1.2 trillion dollar Bipartisan Infrastructure Law found that only 38 percent of allocated funds have been obligated three years after passage, with implementation delayed by permitting bottlenecks, supply chain constraints, and workforce shortages in the construction sector. The slowdown is particularly pronounced for high-profile categories including broadband deployment and EV charging infrastructure.
Republicans who voted against the legislation have pointed to the implementation delays as evidence that the program was poorly designed. Democrats counter that the permitting and workforce challenges were foreseeable and that the administration has taken meaningful steps to accelerate project approvals. State and local governments, which are implementing most of the projects, report that federal reporting requirements add significant administrative burden that diverts capacity from actual construction.
