Co-Chairs of Former Governors Caucus Call for Investments in U.S. Infrastructure

Press Release

In advance of Infrastructure Week, the Co-chairs of the Former Governors Caucus sent a letter calling on their colleagues in the Senate to commit to fully funding national infrastructure and avoid the kinds of short-term fixes that have become routine in recent years. The Senators noted that economists estimate that increasing infrastructure funding by one percent of real GDP would increase economic output over a three year period by $240 billion and add 730,000 jobs in 2015 alone.

"As state and regional governments forge ahead with ambitious projects, our federal government remains paralyzed," wrote the Senators. "Infrastructure Week is an important reminder that we must move beyond the short-term fixes that have come to characterize recent infrastructure debates and rather work together to find comprehensive solutions that not only advance our economy but also provide our nation's engineers, small businesses, and families the certainty they need to invest in our future."

The infrastructure of the United States was recently given a grade of "D+" by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The letter was signed by U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Angus King (I-ME), Michael Rounds (R-SD), Tim Kaine (D-VA), John Hoeven (R-ND), Mark Warner (D-VA), Tom Carper (D-DE) and Joe Manchin (D-WV).