On the recordMarch 27, 2014
I thank my good friend from Oregon for your really singular leadership on this issue and your unwavering commitment to make sure these problems get solved. Mr. Speaker, every 2 years, the American Society of Civil Engineers does an analysis of the U.S. infrastructure needs and an assessment of our infrastructure as it relates to our competitors around the world. In this last analysis they did, they produced a report card, where they graded each component of U.S. infrastructure. They also gave us a composite grade, and that grade was a D-plus. A D-plus, Mr. Speaker, was the grade that the U.S. infrastructure received from the American Society of Civil Engineers. They estimated further that the amount of investment we would need to make as a country to bring our infrastructure up to a high standard is $3 trillion to $4 trillion. $3 trillion to $4 trillion, Mr. Speaker, is the gap, the investment gap in the infrastructure in the United States of America. This creates a very significant challenge for us as a Nation, as we look to compete in a global and technology-enabled world. To successfully compete in a global and technology-enabled world, you need world-class transportation, energy, communications, and infrastructure to be able to compete successfully. It also creates a great opportunity for us, as a Nation, because investing in our infrastructure is proven to be one of the great jobs programs in this country. It creates middle-skilled jobs.…
