The U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited New Hampshire on Monday for a discussion about the new federal infrastructure law and what it could mean for expanding commuter rail in the Granite State.Buttigieg said he always considers himself to be the biggest rail guy in the room, and he was excited to get a glimpse of New Hampshire's vision for the future.Buttigieg met with the state's congressional delegation, Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig and Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess. "We haven't been investing enough as a country in infrastructure," Buttigieg said. "This law changes that. It's a bipartisan law led by the president to properly fund everything from roads and bridges to trains and transit, and New Hampshire's a great place to discuss the impact that's going to have."The new government funding includes $126 million for Granite State public transportation and rail. New Hampshire's proposed rail project would connect cities such as Manchester and Nashua to Boston."It's certainly early in the process for us to be weighing in at a policy level, but what I can say is it is inspiring to see a community that has a vision for its future," Buttigieg said.The city of Manchester was recently awarded a $25 million grant to help transform its downtown Millyard area by easing traffic congestion, improving biking and walking trails, and adding a pedestrian bridge over Granite Street."It goes without saying the investment coming into Manchester over the next decade will completely revitalize our community," Craig said."It includes safety benefits," Buttigieg said. "It's going to have economic development and job benefits and even climate benefits because it's going to make it easier and safer to walk and bike as well as to drive in this area."Buttigieg said the federal government had about $1 billion to work with and $10 billion worth of applications for the grant program that was awarded to Manchester. He said the grants that were awarded went to projects that benefited their communities in a number of ways.