H.R. 3684
Floor Speech
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Mr. CASSIDY. Mr. President, I join tonight in the celebration of a significant next step in the passage of a $550 billion, over 5-year infrastructure package, with roads and bridges, highways, sewer systems, broadband, flood mitigation, and coastal resiliency.
If our responsibility as Senators is to listen to the American people, this bill is a product of hearing their voices. It is a bipartisan package, which does not increase taxes but does meet the needs that we have heard of.
Now, first, let me join others. Senators Portman and Sinema, they just did a fantastic job of leading this effort. Our colleagues, both those here who are speaking but those who are the chairs and ranking members of other committees have really guided us tremendously and produced a great work.
I would also like to acknowledge our House colleagues: Brian Fitzpatrick, Josh Gottheimer, the Problem Solvers Caucus, who on their side of the Chamber have also seen fit to already endorse our effort. And when they did, it was certainly a strong wind of encouragement for us.
But most of all, I thank the American people. The Constitution gives Congress the responsibility for infrastructure. Our duty gives us the responsibility to listen. If you listen to the American people right now, they are concerned about jobs, the economy, safety, and quality of life.
With this bill, we give voice to their concerns. For example, as regards safety, there is $110 billion for better highways, bridges, and roads. Along the way, by the way, you create quite a number of jobs.
My State--every State--has been affected by flooding. There is $3.5 billion for flood mitigation; $500 million to make storm drains bigger, so that if there is a tremendous rain event, systems are better able to hand this.
There is money for sewer systems, money for broadband. Many places in my State do not have high-speed internet. This addresses it in my State and every other.
Quality of life. There are people in my State who, on a Sunday morning, you could drive in 15 minutes to where they are going to work, and on a workday, it takes them an hour and a half. That is 3 hours a day that they are away from their family, 3 hours a day that they are not doing something productive, 3 hours a day of their life which is wasted--times the number of days they work in a year. This will improve their quality of life.
And, by the way, did I mention that it will create a lot of jobs along the way?
So whether it is to benefit the economy, to create better paying jobs, to make people safer, to improve the quality of life, I feel as if we have done it.
Will Rogers said that elected officials are nothing but the hired help. I agree with that. We were sent here to do a job. This legislation shows that Congress can still work, can still do its job for the American people.
With that, I yield to my colleague from Utah.
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