Infrastructure investment is vital to the economic growth in America. The sorry state of our infrastructure right now is a recipe for national decline, and the United States continues to fall behind China and other countries on broadband, on roads, on highways, on ports, on rail, airports, housing, and in other areas. Chapter 1 looks at funding options for bolstering and improving the current infrastructure. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes a provision to review DOT's process for evaluating and selecting INFRA projects for award. Chapter 2 examines DOT's processes to solicit, evaluate, and select applications for INFRA grant awards. The nation's 16 critical infrastructure sectors provide essential services such as electricity, healthcare, and gas and oil distribution. However, cyber threats to critical infrastructure, such as ransomware, represent a significant national security challenge. Chapter 3 describes the reported impact of ransomware attacks on the nation's critical infrastructure.
