[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 136 (Sunday, August 1, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5238-S5239]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               H.R. 3684

  Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I want to thank my colleagues. This has 
been the most enjoyable venture for the last 6 to 8 weeks.
  So many people have given up on the Senate. They have given up on 
Congress. They have given up on our ability to be able to do the big 
things.
  This is big. This is a big deal. And I don't care who is looking at 
it any way they can, it has been said that nothing like this has been 
done in 30 years. It hasn't. We have all talked about it. We all knew 
it.
  Senator Warner said that, basically, potholes and bridges don't have 
names. They don't have Republican and Democrat identification. It will 
hurt us all, and it has.
  It is something that every administration for the past four to five 
administrations knew had to be done, and they didn't because this is 
hard. It is not easy.
  They call us a deliberative body. This is true to what deliberation 
is about: to come to an agreement. And it takes an awful lot of time, a 
lot of patience, and a lot of effort. We did that.
  And when you think about it, having Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and 
the leader of the Republican Party, Mitch McConnell, vote for this 
piece of legislation, that says a lot about it; that it is needed. The 
American people are speaking loud and clear. The polls are 
overwhelming, whether it is Democrat, Republican, Independent--they 
could care less. They want their infrastructure repaired.
  Let's rebuild America. We talk about it a lot. And when you think 
about this, this is the largest long-term jobs program that we have 
done--that we have ever done--for an awful long time.
  They talk about, basically, that the economy is soaring now, and they 
figure it will taper off and maybe even go down. This will prevent that 
from happening. These are great jobs. In every city, in every part of 
the county, in every State in America, great jobs are going to be 
available for people who want good-paying, high-skill jobs with 
benefits.
  This is the bill that will do it for them, and this will keep us 
going from 5 to 10 years, not just 1 year. It is not just a ``one 
blip'' on the radar screen and we are done. This is for 5 to 10 years, 
and we can continue to build on it.
  There are only a few things that bring us together as Americans, that 
bring us together as Congress, that we all gather around. One is the 
military. I have never seen a military piece of legislation or NDAA 
that we all didn't rally around and pass, whether Democrat or 
Republican. We knew it had to be done for the sake of our country. And 
infrastructure is the second. I have never seen anything so popular as 
infrastructure.
  People say: Oh, Joe, we need it done. And these are people that might 
be hardcore left or hardcore right. They could care less. They want 
their infrastructure. They want their roads. They want their children 
safe on the buses. They want to be able to travel and communicate.
  They want internet service, if you live in Maine or if you live in 
rural Alaska or you live in rural West Virginia or New Hampshire or 
Virginia or Louisiana or Utah and also in Ohio. Wherever you may be, 
they want it. They want to be able to communicate and compete for the 
jobs of the 21st century.
  This is largest investment in clean drinking water and wastewater 
infrastructure in American history--the largest. It is the largest 
dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the interstate 
highway system. It is the largest investment in clean energy 
transmission and infrastructure in the history of our country. It is 
the largest Federal investment in passenger rail since the creation of 
Amtrak. Think about that. Think of what I just said. It is the largest 
we have ever done. This is something.
  Now, I have always said that the best politics is good government. We 
do something good, and we can all take credit for it. I have seen 
people take credit for things they voted against when it was so good. 
This is one they can. They can say it is going to be great, go home, 
you will enjoy it.
  I can tell you also what the deliberative body that we are and the 
greatest deliberative body in the world. By deliberation, it brings us 
together. We know each other. We know each other's families. We care 
about each other. We don't look at each as Democrat or Republican. 
These are my friends, my individual friends, who I think basically 
would have my back at any time of the day and I would have theirs.
  This is what brings us--this is what people want. They want to see us 
work. And I want to thank--I will thank--Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. 
He has been adamant about let's pass this bill. Hurry up. Now, he has 
pushed us a little bit faster sometimes, but it is deliberation. We got 
through it. But he wanted the bill to happen.
  And I think, really--I think deep down--that Mitch McConnell wants 
the bill. He has voted for it. He wants it too.
  So when you have both leaders pushing for it on both sides of the 
aisle, this is something that is going to get across the line, and I 
really believe very strongly in it.
  It includes the energy infrastructure act that passed the ENR, with 
Senator Murkowski, then as the majority, as the chairman of Energy and 
Natural Resources. We worked on it together--a great piece of 
legislation.
  We are talking about energy that is going to be making and keeping 
America energy independent, but doing it cleaner than at any time in 
the world, anyplace in the world. We are going to be the leader for the 
world. You can't eliminate your way to a clean environment, but you can 
innovate your way. That is what this bill has.
  It has the commitment to research and development that will define 
basically the way that we can clean up the climate, which we are all 
responsible for.
  So I am very proud to be part of this and proud of all of you, my 
colleagues, that I have worked with and I think the world of.
  This is something we should be proud of. This is a give-and-take 
proposition. Nobody got what they wanted; everybody got what we needed. 
And that is the most important thing.
  Thank you, Mr. President.
  Now, I yield to my good friend from Louisiana.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Louisiana

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