Jeanne Shaheen: “my colleague from Missouri says this is a good government amendment, but this, in fact, is not a good government…”

“my colleague from Missouri says this is a good government amendment, but this, in fact, is not a good government amendment. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provided millions of dollars to connect all Americans to high-speed, reliable, affordable internet. The IIJA provided an administrative set-aside of 2 percent to get these grants out the door quickly and responsibly. What we are hearing now is that the Commerce Department has projected that this falls short of what is needed to successfully implement and oversee these programs. So we increased that 2 percent to 2.7 percent to cover the shortfall that helps States. Now, the NTIA has grants on the Middle Mile Program that affect 38 projects in 35 States and Puerto Rico. And I am going to read for my colleagues across the aisle, who are objecting to this 2.7 percent, the States that are affected if these programs get cut, and their grants will get cut: Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Missouri-- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Senator, your time has expired.”