On the recordMarch 5, 2021
to speak in opposition, the Capito motion to commit the bill to the Finance Committee instructs the committee to do two things. The first is to dedicate funds to pay for bipartisan transportation legislation. The other is to cut the funding currently provided in our bill to provide relief to State and local governments. I would like to say that the reason we oppose this is that this, colleagues, is a false choice. If we are talking about major legislation to improve our infrastructure, including roads, bridges, airports, broadband, and more, count us in. In fact, I think one of the first areas we ought to be focusing on, if we finish this bill, is infrastructure, but this does not have to be at the expense of relief to State and local governments. These two are not mutually exclusive, colleagues. We can do both. We can address infrastructure and help our State and local governments that have been hammered by COVID and a struggling economy. They have had to lay off police, teachers, EMTs, and many others. I urge opposition to the Capito motion. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time has expired. Vote on Motion to Commit The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the motion.
