Congresswoman Scanlon Votes to Pass Historic Infrastructure Bill

Statement

Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) issued the following statement on the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act by the U.S. House of Representatives:

"The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is the largest investment in America's infrastructure needs in generations, and it represents a massive victory for the American people.

"Communities across America have waited too long for meaningful investments in our infrastructure. I came to Congress to get things done for the residents of Pennsylvania's 5th Congressional District, and I am thrilled to have been part of advancing this legislation, which will create economic opportunity for all in the 21st century and beyond.

"PA-05 is home to Philadelphia's airport, port, and rail yard, dozens of miles of interstate highways and passenger rail lines, and regional commuter and light rail lines that link Philadelphia and its suburbs. Our infrastructure is aging, heavily used, and -- in many cases -- beyond its usable lifespan. State and local authorities simply don't have enough money to meet basic maintenance needs, much less to make investments in modernization, expansion, or other improvements. That is precisely why the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is so critical for my district.

"The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will fix our ailing roads and bridges, rehab the electrical grid, expand broadband access, and give millions of Americans access to clean drinking water. The projects funded through this legislation will create good-paying jobs, pave the way for decades of economic growth and prosperity, and better position the United States for success within an increasingly competitive global economy.

"I proudly voted in favor of this bill so it can go to the president's desk and be signed into law, but Congress's job is not done. We must move with urgency to advance the other piece of President Biden's economic agenda -- the Build Back Better Act.

"I remain committed to making sure that we pass a meaningful reconciliation bill to meet the needs of American families. The Build Back Better Act takes on the biggest challenges facing working families today and levels the playing field by lowering the cost of child care, prescription drugs, health care, and preschool -- and it gives families a tax cut.

"In addition to the infrastructure vote, we continued to make progress on the Build Back Better Act this week. The House has spent many hours on markups, and we have now approved the rule that lays out our process for moving the Build Back Better Act forward. I am confident we will get this much-needed legislation over the finish line. The Build Back Better Act represents the most significant investment in children and caregiving in generations, the largest effort to combat climate change in U.S. history, the biggest expansion of affordable health care in a decade, and a major tax cut for the middle class. No Democrat in Congress wants to squander this opportunity -- we are united in our desire to deliver for the American people.

"President Biden's combined Build Back Better agenda offers the greatest potential for progress for American families in 50 years. We need both the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Build Back Better Act to meet that potential and deliver life-changing benefits for every American. We must, and we will, get this done.

Key Funding in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act:

$110 billion to repair and rebuild our roads and bridges with a focus on equity, safety, and attention to climate change mitigation and resilience.

$11 billion for transportation safety programs, including a new, $5 billion Safe Streets for All program to help states and localities reduce crashes and fatalities in their communities, especially for cyclists and pedestrians.

$1 billion of dedicated funding for a first-ever program to reconnect communities divided by transportation infrastructure.

$39 billion of new investment to modernize transit and improve accessibility; that is in addition to continuing the existing transit programs for five years as part of surface transportation reauthorization. In total, the new investments and reauthorization provide $89.9 billion in guaranteed funding for public transit over the next five years.

$66 billion to eliminate the Amtrak maintenance backlog, modernize the Northeast Corridor, and bring world-class rail service to areas outside the northeast and mid-Atlantic.

$7.5 billion to build out the first-ever national network of EV chargers in the United States, with a particular focus on rural, disadvantaged, and hard-to-reach communities.

$25 billion to improve our nation's airports including runways, gates, and terminals.

$17 billion for port infrastructure to address repair and maintenance backlogs, reduce congestion and emissions, and drive electrification and other low-carbon technologies.

$65 billion for broadband deployment to increase access and decrease costs associated with connecting to the internet.

$65 billion for the nation's power infrastructure, including the single largest investment in clean energy transmission in American history and funding to promote smart grid technologies that deliver flexibility and resilience.

$50 billion to make our communities safer and our infrastructure more resilient to the impacts of climate change and cyber-attacks.

$21 billion in environmental remediation, making the largest investment in addressing the legacy pollution that harms the public health of communities and neighborhoods in American history, including funds to clean up Superfund and brownfield sites, reclaim abandoned mine land, and cap orphaned gas wells.

$55 billion investment in clean drinking water, including dedicated funding to replace all of the nation's lead pipes and service lines.

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