Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

The legislation we are debating today is the product of months of partisan games and agendas. Rather than coming to the table for good faith negotiations, the Democrats crafted a plan to pass their progressive policies and socialist human infrastructure programs.

Americans understand the need for real infrastructure investment. They are asking Congress to modernize our roads, bridges, water systems, and rural broadband.

We had an opportunity to do just that, but my colleagues on the left insisted on using the true infrastructure needs of Americans as a bargaining chip for their irresponsible spending spree.

On the floor today is $1.2 trillion toward a wish list of Green New Deal policies that perpetually leave rural America behind. It favors transportation modes that Americans aren't using, including $66 billion for passenger rail like Amtrak, and fails to include the Republican cost-cutting proposals like reforming the NEPA process.

This will be followed by another $3\1/2\ trillion check, piling onto the rapidly increasing national debt and resulting inflation.

At the end of this week, we are facing significant deadlines for funding the government and surface transportation. We have known these deadlines were coming for months, yet Democrats have pushed us to the wire, doing exactly what we know Americans hate: forcing a vote on sweeping legislation and outrageous spending in the final hours.

I will be voting against this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

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