On the recordApril 28, 2021
Madam President, I rise today to talk about how Congress can work together in a bipartisan way to pass infrastructure legislation, following my colleagues from Ohio, from Wyoming, from Iowa--and my colleague from North Carolina is here as well--with a real desire to come up with an infrastructure package, but we want it to be bipartisan. Republicans and Democrats agree that investing in our national infrastructure is necessary to increase economic growth, ensure global competitiveness of American businesses, and create new, high-paying jobs. In fact, just last Congress, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee unanimously approved a 5-year surface transportation reauthorization bill, which included about $300 billion for roads and bridges. That actually represents a 27-percent increase over the FAST Act. We really feel that bill, with its bipartisan support, creates a starting point--a starting point on a bipartisan basis--for the negotiations that we should have in developing the infrastructure package. Tonight we expect the President will outline his American Jobs Plan, but unfortunately it is not focused on infrastructure. It is a massive, $2.25 trillion tax-and-spend bill that dedicates less than one-third, just over $600 billion, toward actual traditional infrastructure. The administration's plan would increase the corporate tax from 21 percent to 28 percent, resulting in reduced wages, increased costs for consumers, and a reduction in economic growth.…





