[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 142 (Saturday, August 7, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S5994]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         INVEST IN AMERICA ACT

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, today, the Senate will decide whether 
to move the bipartisan infrastructure bill closer toward a final vote.
  Like I said before, I am quite confident that, out of 100 U.S. 
Senators, there are 100 of us who believe the bill is imperfect. This 
isn't exactly the bill I would have written on my own in my office, and 
99 of my colleagues would say the very same thing. This is a compromise 
product crafted by colleagues with big, principled differences in a 
Senate with the narrowest possible split.
  But in my view, what our early statesmen called ``internal 
improvement'' is a core government responsibility. The American people 
need roads, bridges, ports, and airports to build their businesses, 
build their families, and build their lives. Republicans and Democrats 
have radically different visions these days, but both those visions 
include physical infrastructure that works for all of our citizens.
  As the Kentucky Farm Bureau wrote to me recently, the investments 
this bill will make are not just necessary; in many cases they are 
overdue. Our country has real needs in this area.
  There are many outstanding amendments that are important, that would 
improve this legislation, and that deserve votes before the Senate is 
asked to vote on the final passage of this bill. The full Senate 
deserves its full chance to shape this important legislation. I hope 
Senators can work together in a bipartisan way to get more amendments 
up and continue improving this important bill. Our colleagues on both 
sides deserve to be heard.

                          ____________________