[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 30 (Thursday, February 15, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H1202]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                INVESTING IN THE NATION'S INFRASTRUCTURE

  (Mr. McNERNEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. McNERNEY. Madam Speaker, this week, the President unveiled a 
budget proposal that would not only endanger the health and safety of 
the American people and our environment, but also jeopardize the long-
term stability of our infrastructure systems.
  It completely ignores what we know about climate change, proposing a 
61 percent reduction in funding for renewable energy research and 
cutting critical enforcement tools and public safety regulations.
  It also lacks the foresight to produce a forward-thinking plan that 
will ensure a stable and resilient infrastructure future. In fact, it 
seeks to eliminate essential programs like ARPA-E, which supports early 
stage energy research and development.
  Nationwide infrastructure systems like the electric grid must be 
updated to anticipate severe weather and climate conditions. We have 
seen the toll that national disasters take on our electric grid.
  Smart planning and investment is essential to ensuring that we have 
the proper resources to maintain and operate these essential 
structures.
  The President has spoken at length about investing in our 
infrastructure. Now let's see some action.

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