Investing in A New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. NORCROSS. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for his leadership.

We just heard from a daughter of a fitter out of the UA. I spent 37 years in the construction industry as an electrician.

We heard just the other day that 40 percent of those who make $40,000 or less are out of work because of the pandemic, yet here we are, in the most deliberative body in the world, where a Member is saying: I want to represent my people by cutting their pay.

Unbelievable that we are hearing this.

They say we must modernize this system. Just because it is old doesn't make it no good. I think many of us can understand that.

They say they can save billions of dollars. Well, let's think about why they want to do it. It is so they can take that billion dollars saved from workers out in the field, who are making pennies an hour, and give it to billionaires like they did 2 years ago.

Let's understand this. They come before us to say: I want to hurt my constituents. I want to pay them less.

Unbelievable that somebody has the guts here on the House floor to say, ``I want to screw my constituents by paying them less, no health benefits,'' time after time. Unbelievable.

This was almost 100 years ago, Senator Davis and Congressman Bacon, signed by a Republican President. I guess that was back when Republicans had a conscience because what we are seeing now is an absolute farce.

``Let's save money so we can build more roads.''

My God, why don't you go back and give them two bucks an hour so they can't even live?

``We will use them as pavement.'' That is what I hear.

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