Providing for Consideration of H.R. Investing in A New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1028 and ask for its immediate consideration.

The Clerk read the resolution, as follows: H. Res. 1028

Resolved, That upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 2) to authorize funds for Federal-aid highways, highway safety programs, and transit programs, and for other purposes. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. In lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure now printed in the bill, an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 116-54, modified by the amendment printed in part A of the report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution, shall be considered as adopted. The bill, as amended, shall be considered as read. All points of order against provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, and on any further amendment thereto, to final passage without intervening motion except: (1) two hours of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure; (2) the amendments en bloc described in sections 2 through 7 of this resolution; (3) the further amendments described in sections 8 and 9 of this resolution; and (4) one motion to recommit with or without instructions.

Sec. 2. After debate pursuant to the first section of this resolution, it shall be in order for the chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure or his designee to offer an amendment en bloc consisting of the further amendments printed in part B of the report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution. The amendment en bloc offered pursuant to this section shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure or their respective designees, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question.

Sec. 3. At the conclusion of the consideration of the amendment en bloc described in section 2 of this resolution, it shall be in order for the chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure or his designee to offer an amendment en bloc consisting of the further amendments printed in part C of the report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution. The amendment en bloc offered pursuant to this section shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for 30 minutes equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure or their respective designees, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question.

Sec. 4. At the conclusion of the consideration of the amendment en bloc described in section 3 of this resolution, it shall be in order for the chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure or his designee to offer an amendment en bloc consisting of the further amendments printed in part D of the report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution. The amendment en bloc offered pursuant to this section shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for 30 minutes equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure or their respective designees, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question.

Sec. 5. At the conclusion of the consideration of the amendment en bloc described in section 4 of this resolution, it shall be in order for the chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure or his designee to offer an amendment en bloc consisting of the further amendments printed in part E of the report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution. The amendment en bloc offered pursuant to this section shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure or their respective designees, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question.

Sec. 6. At the conclusion of the consideration of the amendment en bloc described in section 5 of this resolution, it shall be in order for the chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure or his designee to offer an amendment en bloc consisting of the further amendments printed in part F of the report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution. The amendment en bloc offered pursuant to this section shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for 30 minutes equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure or their respective designees, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question.

Sec. 7. At the conclusion of the consideration of the amendment en bloc described in section 6 of this resolution, it shall be in order for the ranking minority member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure or his designee to offer an amendment en bloc consisting of the further amendments printed in part G of the report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution. The amendment en bloc offered pursuant to this section shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for 30 minutes equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure or their respective designees, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question.

Sec. 8. At the conclusion of the consideration of the amendment en bloc described in section 7 of this resolution, each further amendment printed in part H of the report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution shall be considered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a Member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question.

Sec. 9. (a) Prior to the offering of an amendment en bloc pursuant to sections 2 through 7 of this resolution, the chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure or his designee may designate amendments that shall not be considered as part of the amendment en bloc to be offered pursuant to such section.

(b) Any amendment designated pursuant to subsection (a) shall be in order at the conclusion of the consideration of the further amendments pursuant to section 8 of this resolution if offered by a Member designated in the report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution, shall be debatable for 10 minutes equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question.

(c) All points of order against amendments en bloc described in sections 2 through 7 of this resolution, the further amendments described in section 8 of this resolution, and the further amendments described in this section are waived.

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Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Woodall), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. General Leave
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Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, the Rules Committee met and reported a rule, House Resolution 1028, providing for consideration of H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, under a structured rule.

The rule provides 2 hours of general debate on the bill, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

The rule self-executes a manager's amendment offered by Chairman DeFazio, makes in order six en bloc amendments in total, and makes in order three further amendments.

Prior to the offering of an en bloc amendment, the chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure may designate amendments that shall not be considered as part of the en bloc and shall be considered separately.

And, lastly, the rule provides one motion to recommit, with or without instructions.

Mr. Speaker, the Moving Forward Act provides more than $1.5 trillion to rebuild American infrastructure. The state of disrepair of our roads cost Americans $160 billion in 2014, and 200,000 of our Nation's bridges are more than 50 years old.

Our aging water system loses trillions of gallons of treated water each year and leaves some families without clean water to drink at all.

Children across the Nation are trying to learn in classrooms that are falling apart, without climate control in extreme temperatures, and without reliable internet access.

At the same time, more than 200 million Americans are facing unemployment during a global pandemic.

Our Nation is facing long-term economic repercussions of our inability to stem the spread of COVID-19. We must do something.

Nearly a century ago, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt lifted this Nation up during the height of the Great Depression by putting Americans back to work. By investing in good-paying jobs and public works to improve our communities across the Nation, we were able to provide direct help for working families and invest in much-needed infrastructure. This shaped the face of America for generations to come.

The time has come again to invest in desperately needed infrastructure projects that can put Americans to work right now in their own communities.

There has been tremendous bipartisan agreement from leaders at every level of government, from our village mayors to the President of the United States, that this country must invest in infrastructure that will carry the next generation. The Moving Forward Act is the first step in meeting that need.

With H.R. 2, we will be investing not only in transportation, housing, schools, and broadband, but in families, workers, and communities across this country. This legislation supports American manufacturing and ingenuity, and together we will create millions of jobs right here at home. We will secure the future of our children by forging a path toward zero carbon emissions, making our streets and transit safer, and bringing a better learning environment to every child.

This legislation provides more than $300 billion to repair and upgrade existing roads and bridges, railways, and ports. We are going to provide $100 billion to put zero-emission buses on American roadways, cutting congestion, providing new options for families and workers. We are working to make roads smarter and safer for all users, including children, pedestrians, and cyclists.

We will also provide over $100 billion to create or preserve 1.8 million affordable homes, reducing housing inequality, creating local jobs, and increasing resiliency in the face of natural disasters.

I am proud to support provisions to triple funding for Amtrak to allow long-awaited upgrades and expansion of our Nation's passenger rail network. America has long lagged behind in accessible and efficient rail travel, and this funding will improve safety and assist local traffic congestion.

The Moving Forward Act represents a true partnership between the Federal Government and American States and localities.

The bill also permanently reinstates Build America Bonds and advance refunding bonds as well as increasing the issuance of private activity bonds, spurring private investment in community projects that our Nation desperately needs.

We have $70 billion for clean energy and a plan to upgrade America's electrical grid to make it more efficient and more resilient.

H.R. 2 also delivers affordable high-speed internet access to all parts of the country by investing $100 billion to promote competition for broadband internet infrastructure to unserved and underserved rural, suburban, and urban communities.

As our Nation battles this global pandemic, and so many of our hospitals have been stretched to the brink, the Moving Forward Act invests $30 billion to upgrade hospital facilities to increase capacity, strengthen care, and prepare for future health emergencies.

This bill invests $25 billion to modernize postal infrastructure and operations, including a zero emissions postal vehicle fleet, and puts Americans to work strengthening our coast with a $3 billion grant program for shovel-ready projects to restore Great Lakes, coastal habitats, and marine ecosystems.

As we discuss the far-reaching benefits of the Moving Forward Act, I would like to note the significance of one particular provision that I was proud to advocate for along with my colleagues in the Education and Labor Committee, the Reopen and Rebuild America's Schools Act.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, chronic neglect of America's public schools forced students and educators across the country to learn and work in outdated and hazardous school buildings. Now the pandemic is exacerbating this crisis and making abundantly clear how unprepared and under-resourced many of our Nation's school districts are.

The Reopen and Rebuild America's Schools Act takes great strides to move beyond the traditional brick and mortar school infrastructure to support schools and designing the types of building and classrooms needed to serve students, especially those from low income families. This critical legislation is needed now more than ever.

Today, we can work to not only help teachers and students get back to school, but commit serious investment in high poverty schools with facilities that pose health and safety risks to students and staff, expand access to high-speed broadband to ensure that all public schools have the reliable and high-speed internet access that students need for digital and distance learning.

This legislation, the Moving Forward Act, represents a significant step we must take to invest in the future of American infrastructure from our highway systems to our classrooms.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support the rule and support H.R. 2.

Mr. Speaker, I am always excited to be with my friend from Georgia, and we do get to sit through long hours of the Rules Committee and question back and forth our witnesses. And he is right, I am not particularly media savvy, I have a face for radio, as they say. But we do find that time to be very informative. I struggle a little bit, I was not here in 2015, but I do know what has happened over the last 18 months or so.

First and foremost, I just note that in the midst of a pandemic, I think we can hardly be excused had we just done a closed rule. Put the bill before us for a vote without a structured rule, which is in front of us.

I also note, and this is one of the challenges of trying to engage in bipartisanship, which I am not only a big fan of, but I engaged in in my previous life as a member of the New York State Assembly where we had a Republican Senate and a Democratic House, much as we find ourselves in here today, and we worked across the aisle to find common ground when we could.

But I will say that I think that the difference between 2015 and now is the opposition of the minority, particularly as it related to a number of issues that dealt with climate change, and made it, as I understand listening to the chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, effectively mitigated any chance of having a bipartisan agreement on this. But that is not to say that there aren't Republican amendments before us.

I know Ms. Foxx will have an amendment here later. The ranking member of the Education and Labor Committee on which I serve, as well as the ranking member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will advance an en bloc amendment. So there will be, and there continues to be an effort on our part to work across the aisle. But I do find it hard to be bipartisan, and I think if it was a voice vote, then I think there was general agreement. Clearly, there were differences of opinion here that we could not get past, and we felt the need very much to advance this.

Mr. Speaker, I also will say, just to note--and I hate to keep hearkening back to my experience in State government, but I will, nonetheless, even though I hate it, I will do that, which is to say, I served under Republican and Democratic Governors. And something that would have been this important would clearly have engaged the Governor of either party in discussions with the members of the legislature in both houses.

And I note that while the President has indicated support for an infrastructure bill, I think it was over a year ago, back in May of 2019, where the President hosted a meeting at the White House after having talked about a $2 trillion infrastructure package and broke up the meeting in anger and left, and as far as I know has not engaged either House in substantive discussions moving forward.

So I don't disagree with my friend from Georgia. I know that he is profoundly interested in this institution and in working across the aisle, but there are times when, unfortunately, for various reasons that is not the case, and we have it in front of us today. And I feel compelled that we move forward on the Moving Forward Act because this is vital to the interests of the American public.

Very briefly, I do note that we certainly could have entered into a bipartisan agreement if we didn't care about climate change, if we weren't interested in the greatest impact on our carbon footprint by transportation and automobiles, and we create a number of provisions in this bill which we could not get support on, which is why we had to go on our own way.

I do also note for my great friend from Georgia, 17 bipartisan amendments are included in this package. So there is bipartisanship, despite the feelings that the White House has given as it relates to this bill.

Before I yield, I insert in the Record a May 8 Industry Week article titled, ``Crumbling Infrastructure is Hurting America's Competitive Edge.'' [From Industry Week] Crumbling Infrastructure Is Hurting America's Competitive Edge (By Michael McGarry)

With unemployment rates in the U.S. at historic levels due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever to invest in areas that help get more people back to work. Today, lawmakers should prioritize the passage and implementation of a comprehensive infrastructure program, as part of a future round of stimulus funding that would immediately provide employment opportunities for many Americans.

Even before we started feeling the economic impacts of COVID-19, our country was in dire need of these upgrades. Data from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) reveals that underinvestment in U.S. infrastructure worsens by the year, and infrastructure investment before the pandemic was only one-third of what it was in 1960.

Manufacturers, who today continue to provide essential resources to the medical community and other front-line workers, are currently relying on outdated roads, bridges, waterways, ports, runways and drinking water systems, many of which are more than 50 years old. More than 54,000 bridges across the U.S. are rated ``structurally deficient'' according to NAM. Roadways, ports and waterways are in disrepair. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released a report card in 2017 of infrastructure in the country and gave the nation a rating of D+. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 65% of major U.S. roads are rated as ``less than good condition.''

In addition to the challenges we will now face due to the current economic environment, these deficiencies take an additional toll on manufacturers' bottom lines, causing unreliable delivery times and increased fleet maintenance costs. Congested highway networks add $74.5 billion to transportation costs for manufacturers moving goods and raw materials by truck, according to the American Transportation Research Institute.

In order for America to remain globally competitive now and after this pandemic, our leaders must be committed to improving our infrastructure. China's infrastructure investment is almost double the size of the infrastructure spending in the U.S., and India's infrastructure investments are growing at a rate that triples the infrastructure outlays of the U.S., Canada and Mexico combined. Manufacturing workers in the U.S., and all Americans, should refuse to settle for infrastructure that lags behind the rest of the world.

Many have acknowledged that the current economic challenges bring an opportunity to upgrade the nation's neglected transportation systems. Stay-at-home orders covering nearly the entire country in March and April kept Americans off the road, and gas tax revenues have plummeted as a result. According to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, state and local governments need $50 billion to ensure that they can continue existing transportation construction and maintenance programs without disruption. The nation's airports also need a backstop to make up for lost user fees. Keeping current infrastructure projects afloat is only a start.

Our deteriorating national infrastructure is not solely a state or federal issue. It is not a small or large business issue. It is not a Democratic or a Republican issue. Infrastructure is an American issue that directly affects our ability to compete in the global marketplace and provide financial security for millions of American families.

Once it is safe to work, the U.S. government should mobilize to rebuild our nation's infrastructure. It would ensure that the nation emerges on the other side with a stronger, competitive economy. Infrastructure projects put people to work at high wages, create demand for materials and equipment and generate tax revenues for governments at all levels. They build systems of lasting public benefit, improving the safety, convenience and efficiency of commerce, communication and travel.

Making substantial investments in America's infrastructure will not only put Americans back to work, but it will improve the lives of workers, while helping all manufacturers better serve their customers and communities. It will bolster the security of our nation, and it will strengthen the ties that bind us together as a country, improving commerce and communication and paving the way for the success of the next generation.

Congress must invest now. I urge our elected leaders to work together to prioritize a bold vision for improving infrastructure. Congress's next stimulus bill must include aggressive investments in infrastructure such as highways, bridges and airports. It's good for our citizens, our economy, and our country to remain globally competitive. We cannot afford to wait.

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Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I just note that in the last Congress, the majority invested $2 trillion in a tax cut that 83 percent went to the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans, and despite that, we see no lasting benefit of that. It has added substantially to the deficit of the United States, to the tune of over $1.3 trillion. We prefer to make these investments in American families and in American jobs.

Mr. Speaker, let me begin by thanking my colleague and friend on the Rules Committee (Mr. Woodall), who is really one of the thought leaders in this Chamber and has always committed to bipartisanship, always committed to what is best for our Nation and for the people blessed to call this Nation home. I want to thank him, as always, for his partnership and his hard work in his diligence to the cause.

I take a slightly different view of what we do here today than my friend because this isn't, in my view, strictly a partisan issue or a party issue or a platform issue or a messaging issue. This is an issue of what we value as Americans, what we believe and what the majority believes is important to the citizens of this country.

We do face, as Mr. Woodall notes, the greatest pandemic this country has faced in at least a century. We have 125,000 Americans who have lost their lives to it. So this is an extraordinary time, and it calls for extraordinary measures and a $1.5 trillion plan to move America forward to address our transportation crisis, to address our climate change crisis, to address our healthcare crisis, to address the challenges brought on by crumbling schools across this country.

One of the learnings of this pandemic, in my view, has been the digital divide. Whether it is in telehealth, in telemedicine, we know that those communities of color that already face disparities face even greater disparities. So the broadband initiative included in this is so vitally important to all of us.

We see that when it comes to distance learning in our schools. Crumbling schools, yes, but the inability of schoolchildren to get to online classes and distance learning because of broadband challenges is great, as well, and we need to do everything we can to limit those disparities.

And those are the great learnings, perhaps, of this pandemic and things we can do about it.

That is why we believe so strongly in investing those dollars in meeting the challenge of climate change, the defining challenge of our time. Transportation is the leading cause of U.S. carbon pollution. So these are the values we embrace.

While certainly I take as an article of faith what Mr. Woodall said, which is, perhaps it is not likely this bill, every word and every comma will become law unless, all of a sudden, there is enlightenment in the United States Senate, which I frankly have some doubt about. But make no mistake, much of what is in here will become law because it is important to us as a majority and it is important to the American people.

We are going to continue to stand and fight for these things in the midst of these great crises because they are important, we need to put Americans back to work to build our infrastructure and to build an infrastructure for the next generation. This isn't about now. This isn't about digging a hole and filling it back up, digging another hole and filling it back up. These are great needs. They are needs that we have, frankly, ignored for decades now. The time has come to address them.

So this is a question of values. It is a question of what we believe Americans need, what our families need, and what our communities need.

We will get there. I have faith that we will negotiate a bill, and much of what is included today, hopefully, will pass, will be included in the final package, and will be signed by the President because it is too important for America not to do.

Mr. Speaker, I thank all my colleagues for their words in favor of H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the rule and a ``yes'' vote on the previous question.

The material previously referred to by Mr. Woodall is as follows: Amendment to House Resolution 1028

At the end of the resolution, add the following:

Sec. 10. Immediately upon adoption of this resolution, the House shall proceed to the consideration in the House of the resolution (H. Res. 1031) condemning the cyber attacks on American persons and organizations conducting research related to COVID 19 and expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that those responsible for perpetrating such belligerent acts should face consequences. The resolution shall be considered as read. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the resolution and preamble to adoption without intervening motion or demand for division of the question except one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. Clause 1(c) of rule XIX shall not apply to the consideration of House Resolution 1031.
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