[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 96 (Thursday, May 21, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S2582]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       NATIONAL PUBLIC WORKS WEEK

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I am pleased that earlier this week the 
Senate passed S. Res. 586, a bipartisan resolution designating this 
week National Public Works Week. National Public Works Week celebrates 
the profound impact our public works professionals have on our safety 
and quality of life. Public works are the shared assets that make up 
the backbone of our Nation. Public service professionals build, manage 
and operate our nation's most essential services.
  Many of us take for granted work that goes into the services we rely 
on every day. This week provides an opportunity to reflect on the men 
and women behind those services. Let us consider the way our daily life 
is powered by public service professionals: We wake up in the morning 
to turn the tap on and expect water to come out. We place our trash 
bins on the street and expect it is collected in timely manner. Some of 
us may drive over bridges built to last generations and follow traffic 
signals that were carefully planned to keep us safe.
  The work of public service professionals has a tangible impact on our 
lives every single day. Consider the employee who replaced the aging 
pipe that brings water to your home or the scientist that ensured that 
water is safe to drink. Consider also the sanitation worker who keeps 
your street clean and healthy. We can also think of the engineer who 
designed the bridge and the construction worker who started the workday 
before dawn to ensure the construction minimally impacted your routine. 
National Public Works Week gives us a formal opportunity to humanize 
these services and say thank you to the people working behind the 
scenes to keep our communities running.
  There is no more important time than now to recognize these 
individuals. The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged our communities in 
ways previously unimaginable. However, we can count on public works 
employees to rise to the occasion. Public works employees are often on 
the frontlines, risking their own health to ensure that services are 
delivered. While much of public life has come to a standstill, the 
rhythm of public services continues. Water mains break and require 
repair and garbage must still be collected.
  The pandemic has thrust millions of Americans into financial 
uncertainty, unsure how they will pay for basic services. Many public 
works agencies, like the Baltimore Department of Public Works are 
continuing to offer discounted water rates as the pandemic continues.
  Public works also offer hope for our Nation's economic recovery. From 
the Great Depression came a formative era in the history of public 
works in America. President Franklin D. Roosevelt understood the power 
of transformative projects to jumpstart America's economy and provide a 
higher quality life than previously known. The New Deal made an 
indelible impact on the structure of our government and trajectory of 
America's financial recovery. The projects themselves now stand as a 
physical representation of our young Nation's capacity to overcome 
adversity with ingenuity and grit.
  The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our Nation is 
profound. However, our Nation is ripe for investment in public works 
projects that will put people back to work and stimulate our economy, 
as was done with the New Deal. As the ranking member of the 
Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee of the Senate Committee 
on Environment and Public Works, I understand the urgent need to 
address our Nation's aging infrastructure. That is why I am proud that 
the Committee reported favorably, on a bipartisan basis, a surface 
transportation reauthorization bill last year, America's Transportation 
Infrastructure Act, S. 2303, which authorizes billions of dollars to 
State and local governments to invest in roads, bridges, and highways, 
and why I hope my colleagues in the Senate will come together and 
follow through with important infrastructure legislation. There is no 
better time than now to invest in our Nation's infrastructure and 
employ a new class of public works professionals. Public works are 
central to the American story of resiliency and fortitude, even in the 
face of despair. This week, and always, we should look to public works 
professionals with gratitude for their contributions to our lives.

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