[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 11 (Thursday, January 18, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H483-H484]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        FEDERAL INVOLVEMENT IN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IS NEEDED

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Williams). The Chair recognizes the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Costa) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about our need to 
invest in America, to invest in our future. Sound infrastructure is 
literally and figuratively the foundation of our Nation's economy. But, 
for quite some time, we in Washington have not provided the critical 
funding for our infrastructure projects that our communities around the 
country need.
  We must stop living off the investments that our parents and 
grandparents made generations ago and, instead, start intelligently 
investing in our infrastructure again. The American Society of Civil 
Engineers estimates that, to update our infrastructure system, we need 
to make an investment of over $1 trillion. And, of course, the 
President has talked about such a bipartisan package.
  One key to intelligent investment is the Federal Government matching 
infrastructure funds for State and local governments. This is needed, 
and it has been historic to, in fact, make these projects a reality.
  As we see from our history, infrastructure projects in this country 
move forward most effectively when we have a combination of local, 
State, and Federal dollars to invest. Across the country, State and 
local governments are raising funds to repair and improve 
infrastructure, often making tough political choices for raising taxes 
or making difficult decisions when required to do so.
  This is happening both in red and blue States alike. In all three of 
the counties in my district, Merced, Madera, and Fresno Counties, they 
have voted to increase their local sales tax by a half cent in order to 
pay for essential transportation projects, including road repairs and 
construction of new road systems and highways.
  Last year, the California State Legislature and the Governor enacted 
a bill to increase the State gas tax and vehicle fees to pay for 
bridges, roads, and other transportation improvement projects over the 
next 10 years.
  Currently, these are tough decisions, tough political decisions, but 
the policy implications, notwithstanding the political risks, are worth 
it. Our State and local leaders in California have taken these risks. 
It is the right thing to do. It takes dollars to fill potholes. That is 
the bottom line. To repair bridges and improve road systems, it takes 
dollars. It is not magic.
  And now the Federal Government needs to step up and face the 
challenge head on. We need to be responsible in our Nation's Capital. I 
have been working hard for years to improve the infrastructure in 
California's San Joaquin Valley, both in the statehouse and now here in 
Congress, and we have made

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some progress. But what we are lacking is the Federal component.
  It is essential that we build a transportation and water 
infrastructure system to meet the 21st century system needs, not only 
of California, but of our entire Nation, and the valley I have the 
honor and privilege to represent.
  We need a more reliable water system to supply our farms and cities 
that are growing, and with climate change, we know we have to take that 
into account. We also need a better 21st century system of 
transportation.
  What is missing? I will tell you what is missing: Federal funding; 
Federal participation. To make this happen, we in Congress should 
incentivize States and local governments like in California and the 
counties I represent that have already raised funds for these projects, 
with a Federal funding stream that will complement these State and 
local efforts.
  California and the San Joaquin Valley are already doing their part, 
and we need, here in Washington, to do our part to invest in our 
country's future. This will require Democrats and Republicans to work 
together to engage in a serious bipartisan deliberation and 
negotiations this year to make this national infrastructure project a 
reality.
  Last week, we in the Problem Solvers Caucus released a report to the 
State of our Nation's infrastructure and made bipartisan 
recommendations on how we get there. These recommendations can serve as 
a foundation for consensus on which bipartisan collaboration can build 
the policy that repairs, advances, and invests in America's 
infrastructure.
  Although we have not seen a lot of bipartisan deliberative 
policymaking here lately, I am urging my colleagues on both sides of 
the aisle to show some profiles in courage. We must come together to 
invest in America's infrastructure if we expect to have the capacity 
for the economic development and innovation for the future of America 
in the 21st century.
  I have made this a priority throughout my years of service in the San 
Joaquin Valley, both in Sacramento and now in Washington, D.C. I invite 
my colleagues to join me in investing in America's infrastructure; work 
with the President; work on a bipartisan basis.
  After all, that is what we are supposed to do in investing in 
America's infrastructure and, therefore, our future. This has been our 
tradition in the past and how we have gotten great projects completed, 
and this is the kind of investment we need to make today for America's 
infrastructure.
  Let us work together. It is the right thing to do.

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