Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, it was not too long ago that the phrase ``infrastructure week'' was little more than a punchline. Our roads and bridges were crumbling, our water systems were aging, and too many students were struggling to complete their homework assignments because they lacked access to reliable internet.

But 3 years ago, we finally came together on a bipartisan basis to agree that investing in our Nation's infrastructure is not a joke, and we did something about it. Last Friday marked 3 years since President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act--also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law--into law.

Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we have made historic investments in America. Since its enactment, the Biden-Harris administration has announced $568 billion in funding for more than 66,000 projects across all 50 States, DC, the territories, and Tribes. This funding has helped repair more than 196,000 miles of road, update 11,400 bridges, replace more than 350,000 lead pipes, and create nearly 16 million jobs.

As the son of two railroad workers, an aspect of these achievements that is most exciting to me is the $66 billion invested in rail, which is the largest investment in passenger rail since the inception of Amtrak. For Illinoisans, this is especially important because Chicago is the rail hub of North America, with more trackage radiating in more directions than any other city. And thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, our rail is becoming more efficient and reliable every day.

Senator Duckworth and I have worked to make sure these historic levels of investment in transportation and infrastructure are felt in Illinois. The Biden administration invested $18.9 billion in our State's public infrastructure--$12.2 billion going to transportation. This also includes $1.5 billion for clean water, including $578 million dedicated to lead pipe and service line replacement.

For Illinoisans, this has meant investments through hundreds of grant awards all across the State, investments like CTA's long-awaited red line extension project, which will bring faster, more accessible transit options to our community, create thousands of jobs, and strengthen our economy. It has meant three large grant awards for O'Hare International Airport. This is one of our Nation's largest and busiest airports, and this funding will help it update its terminals and make sure Americans can get from point A to point B safely and on time.

It has meant millions of dollars invested in improving Chicago's Union Station, one of the Nation's busiest rail stations; in finishing the Springfield Rail Improvements Project--a decade-long effort to relocate the rail corridor in our State's capital; adding new zero emissions buses to fleets across the State, including in Rock Island and Rockford; and in completing the Chicago Region Environmental Transportation Efficiency or ``CREATE'' program, which will untangle rail bottlenecks in the Chicago region.

It also has meant investments in improving roadways like Goshen Road down in Edwardsville and replacing outdated railcars in East St. Louis. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is making America's public infrastructure more reliable and cost-efficient.

Now, there is no doubt that these historic investments serve hard- working families, strengthen our economy, and make us more competitive on the world stage. Now, some of you might say, ``Well, that all sounds great, but how did we pay for all of this?''

I am happy to share that this law was paid for, in part, by a bill of mine called the REFUND Act, which requires drug manufacturers to pay a rebate to Medicare for unused and discarded medications. You see, for far too long, Big Pharma packaged expensive drugs in excessive, Costco- sized vials and made taxpayers and seniors foot the bill for leftover medication that was literally thrown in the trash. With this legislation, not only did the profiteering come to an end, we are saving seniors and taxpayers billions of dollars that helped to offset the cost of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

When Americans need to take the bus, cross a bridge, or hop on the train to get to work in the morning, when they need to catch a flight to attend a family gathering, when they need to fill a pot or glass of water or connect to the internet, they expect that our Nation's infrastructure will safely, cheaply, and reliably deliver for them.

In addition to making our infrastructure more dependable, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has already created millions of good- paying, union jobs, boosted domestic manufacturing, and grown our economy from the middle out and the bottom up in every community. In red States and blue States alike, in communities rural and urban, this law is investing in America the way Americans deserve.

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