John Cornyn: “over the last few years, pandemic relief bills have sent billions of dollars to State and local governments to support…”

“over the last few years, pandemic relief bills have sent billions of dollars to State and local governments to support their pandemic responses and recoveries, and it is appropriate that we did so. But the truth is, when the pandemic hit, we didn't know how long it would last or what the ripple effects of that would be, both the public health and economic impacts on State and local governments and the constituencies that they serve. I have heard from countless Texas leaders that they have more money than eligible expenses under the guardrails Congress applied at the time, and my colleagues can attest to the fact that this is not a unique problem to Texas. States, counties, and cities across the country want more flexibility to spend these relief dollars on their highest priority projects, especially infrastructure. If we don't do this, these jurisdictions are going to fritter these dollars away on things that will not have a lasting, positive impact on our economy or public safety. An investment in infrastructure will be an investment in public safety and a growing economy. My friend Senator Padilla from California and I have worked with the administration and our colleagues on both sides of the aisle in order to come up with a bill that would grant this flexibility. This bill originally passed the Senate unanimously last October.…”