Invest in American Workers and Nation-Building at Home

Floor Speech

Mr. HIGGINS. Madam Speaker, today, the House will consider legislation to prevent the highway trust fund from going broke. This action is critical, as a broke highway trust fund will result in no highway trust fund and will further result in the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs this construction season. Unfortunately, the measures under consideration in the House and Senate are weak, temporary fixes.

To effectively address America's crumbling infrastructure, the American Society of Civil Engineers estimates the need for $3.6 trillion by 2020. Historically, this type of bold investment has created jobs and transformed the American economy. When the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law, only 7 percent of the funds dealt with infrastructure projects. These projects accounted for nearly two-thirds of jobs created under the Act.

Congress is failing the American people by not making the investments we need to stay globally competitive. Let's invest in American workers and American manufacturers and make a real commitment to nation-building right here at home.

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