Statement from U. S. Representative Danny K. Davis Infrastructure and Investment Act

Statement

While the bill don't contain everything I wanted, worked for and hoped for, and will keep fighting for, it does contain the highest federal investment in federal transit ever. It does contain the highest federal investment in passenger rail since Amtrak. It provides major investment to improve schools, bridges and highways. Chicago has many of each in need of repair. It provides major money to improve clean drinking water and replace lend pipes. There is also a major focus of Mayor Lightfoot. It also creates good-paying union jobs with more than 2 million expected. It will guarantee the installation of broadband and high-speed internet across the country, especially in communities with those on the south and westside of Chicago. It will create many opportunities with good jobs and business opportunities. Buy Americans made in America.

I know that there have been and will continue to be discussions about more extensive packages, more programs, and bigger investments, and I understand that. I have been an advocate in these discussions and will be in these yet to come. I have been in the rooms when we agreed to provide stimulus checks, when we increased the earned income tax credits, increased snap benefits, increased the Child Tax Credit, provided money for small business loans and grants, unemployment checks for people who had lost their jobs due to covid, money to hospitals and clinics to fight back against the covid pandemic and kinds of other needs that could have worked hard on. Instead, our economy wrecked our nation, Blacks, Latino, Asians, American pacific islanders and Native communities are more likely to be burdened by pollution.

The legislation's roughly 65 billion investments are the single most significant investment in clean energy transmission in American History. I like many others had hoped this bill would have been larger and better to add to the incredible things this administration has already done this session. Know that there have been and will continue to be discussions about bigger and better. I also know there are times when a bird in the hand is better than two or three in the bush. HR3684 is in the hand and it's what we can get done now. Adds this to expanding the earned income tax credit to individual workers, now custodial parents. Younger workers, foster youth, homeless youth, modernizing the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit so that working parents can receive thousands of dollars to help with childcare costs even if they don't have any taxes. Now that we have the money lets fix the Eisenhower expressway.

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