Rand Paul: “the Senate is considering an infrastructure bill, and I am glad we are. For too long, Americans have been compelled to…”

“the Senate is considering an infrastructure bill, and I am glad we are. For too long, Americans have been compelled to send their tax dollars overseas to improve the infrastructure of other countries. I have been fighting, for several years, to invest in infrastructure here at home, which is why I find it frustrating that the very people who celebrate this package today actually opposed my efforts in the past. We have a short memory here in the Senate. Only 2 years ago, I offered my Penny Plan for Infrastructure for a vote. My plan would have invested nearly $40 billion in infrastructure over those 2 years. In those 2 years, nearly 20,000 miles of roads could have been resurfaced. Instead, those investments weren't made and 2 additional years of wear and tear passed by. The parade of Senators coming to the floor and expounding upon the urgency of this package is nothing less than shocking, particularly when those same Members voted against 20,000 miles of resurfaced roads only a short time ago. The Penny Plan was not my only effort to invest in infrastructure. Six years ago, I worked on a bipartisan package that would have made $ 130 billion available for infrastructure. Had my plan been enacted into law, Americans would now be driving on 130 thousand miles of new roads. So, why for more than 5 years have my infrastructure proposals been stifled? For only one reason: each of my proposals were paid for.…”