On the recordJune 30, 2021
There are very few issues that we work on that have such an impact on every single person's daily life as an infrastructure bill. It is what moves people. It is what moves goods. That is why we need a bill that makes us globally competitive. We need a bill that builds roads and bridges. We need a bill that decreases traffic and improves people's quality of life. Doing so, by the way, would decrease carbon emissions. But this bill actually bans new roads by stripping States of their ability to prioritize building new roads or bridges. We need a bill that makes it more efficient to move products from place to place, and we need a bill that takes control out of the hands of bureaucrats and empowers local leaders because they know best what their community needs. Unfortunately, this bill does none of those things. What it does do is increase inflation, cost, and debt. There are zero proposals to pay for this bill. It is not a serious attempt to legislate. It is another partisan wish list and, sadly, another missed opportunity to uplift the everyday lives of Americans. This misguided legislation is not what the American people need. I hope calmer heads will prevail, and we see that a real bipartisan effort to get this important work done actually happens. Mr. Speaker, I urge opposition. Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Kansas (Ms. Davids), the vice chair of the committee.
