[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 199 (Tuesday, November 16, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H6301-H6307]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 DEMOCRATS DELIVERED ON INFRASTRUCTURE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 4, 2021, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Cartwright) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special 
Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, to honor the memory of a 104-year-old 
hero of World War II and a survivor of the infamous Bataan Death March, 
I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Duncan).


        Moment of Silence Honoring Brigadier General Ben Skardon

  Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding because 
I know that he, too, works hard for our Nation's veterans and the men 
and women who serve in the United States military.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and recognize a World War II 
and Korean war veteran, Colonel Ben Skardon, who was notified last week 
that he was set to receive an honorary promotion to the rank of 
Brigadier General.
  After months of coordination and conversations between my office, the 
Department of the Army, the Department of Defense, Congress, and the 
family of Colonel Skardon, the Army and DOD have concurred with my 
recommendation and, in an extremely rare circumstance, approved Colonel 
Skardon's promotion to the rank of Brigadier General.
  Very few American soldiers ever receive this honor in this manner, 
and it is well deserved on behalf of Colonel Skardon for his brave 
military service to our country.
  Now, let me just tell you that Colonel Skardon served in World War 
II, and he was in the Philippines as commander of Company A of the 92nd 
Infantry Regiment Philippine Army and led his troops through some of 
the fiercest days of World War II in the South Pacific.
  After the surrender of tens of thousands of Filipino and U.S. 
soldiers to Japanese forces on April 9, 1942, Skardon was forced into 
the infamous Bataan Death March. For 65 miles, Skardon and many others 
were forced to walk, suffering physical abuse, fatigue, and the mental 
exhaustion of watching the death of many fellow prisoners.
  Colonel Skardon survived this horrific march because of his 
perseverance and commitment to his will to live. Skardon's strength and 
will continued for the 1,255 days he spent in Japanese prison as a 
prisoner of war.
  He defied all odds with the help of two fellow Clemson University 
graduates who spoon-fed him and made sure he was safe from Japanese 
guards. Skardon managed to keep hidden his Clemson ring. As a Clemson 
alumnus who wears his ring proudly, I understand the sacrifice that he 
made to keep that hidden.
  He and his fellow alumni made the tough decision to trade Colonel 
Skardon's gold Clemson ring for food and medicine, which ultimately 
saved his life. With the help of his fellow soldiers and his pawned 
ring, he recovered.
  Skardon also survived the sinking of two unmarked hell ships, 
prisoner of war ships, that were transporting POWs to mainland Japan. 
Not just one but two prison ships were sunk by the United States 
military.
  At 24 years old and only 90 pounds, he was finally liberated in 
Manchuria by Russian units in 1945.
  After World War II, he went on to serve our Nation in the Korean war, 
retiring with the rank of colonel in 1962.
  His leadership skills were exemplified by his continued military 
involvement with the young men and women in ROTC at Clemson who wanted 
to go on and serve in our military. Colonel Skardon would mentor them 
about what they faced.
  For all of his valor, endurance, and suffering in World War II, he 
was awarded two Silver Stars and two Bronze Stars for valor. He was a 
Purple Heart recipient and a Congressional Gold Medal recipient.
  When he retired, he continued his life of service as a professor at 
Clemson University for nearly 20 years. He earned several esteemed 
citizen and civilian awards, including the Clemson Medallion, Clemson 
University's highest honor; the Alumni Distinguished Service Award, the 
Clemson Alumni Association's highest honor; and from the State of South 
Carolina, the Order of the Palmetto.
  His life of perseverance and selfless leadership exemplified what it 
means not only to be a United States soldier but a true American hero.
  Colonel Skardon was informed of the promotion that he received from 
colonel to brigadier general just this weekend. Colonel Skardon was 104 
years old. He passed away last night.
  Working to secure his promotion to brigadier general is one of the 
most humbling acts that I have undertaken during my time in Congress, 
and I have no doubt that divine intervention was responsible for 
ensuring that he learned of this great honor that our country bestowed 
upon him before his passing.
  My thoughts and prayers are with his family and the Clemson community 
during this time. He will be deeply missed, but he will never be 
forgotten.
  To the family of General Ben Skardon, and to Ben, Godspeed. We 
appreciate your service to our great Nation. You wore that Clemson ring 
proudly. Clemson honored you. I honor you today, and I thank you for 
your service to our great Nation. Godspeed.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Duncan for that 
fine tribute, and I ask, in harmony with Congressman Duncan, that this 
House observe a moment of silence in honor of the memory of this World 
War II hero, Colonel Ben Skardon.
  Madam Speaker, this week, Democrats delivered on infrastructure.
  Over the past number of years, we have had infrastructure week after 
infrastructure week. Eventually, infrastructure week became a joke.

  Now, under the current administration, we have made good on our 
promise to rebuild the arteries of America. We have delivered a once-
in-a-century investment in all the infrastructure that makes our Nation 
run.

[[Page H6302]]

  It is the kind of investment that will create millions of good-paying 
jobs and make our Nation more competitive with every other country in 
the world.
  When President Biden signed into law this bill, this act, yesterday, 
it was the largest investment in rebuilding bridges since the 
construction of the Interstate Highway System, the largest Federal 
investment in passenger rail since the original establishment of 
Amtrak, and the largest investment in clean drinking water in American 
history.
  So important for my district in northeastern Pennsylvania, this will 
put northeastern Pennsylvania back on the passenger rail map, bring 
broadband internet to every rural area in my district, and support our 
efforts to reclaim all the abandoned mine land sites that have scarred 
our landscape for decades and fouled our watercourses for that length 
of time as well.
  It will create millions of jobs, good-paying jobs, American jobs, 
union jobs, jobs that cannot be outsourced across the ocean.
  This is truly a transformative law that will help us build a stronger 
middle class and a brighter future for our entire Nation.
  What we are here to talk about this evening is what it means to us, 
this kind of investment, this kind of belief in our future here in 
America, what it means to us individually, in our particular districts.
  I have here this evening my fellow Pennsylvanian from the Second 
Congressional District of Pennsylvania, Representative Brendan Boyle.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Brendan F. Boyle) so he can tell us what it means to him that we have 
made this historic investment in America.
  Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, the last 
President made the term ``infrastructure week'' a running joke. Under 
President Biden and Democrats in Congress, infrastructure decade is now 
a reality.
  That decade officially began yesterday afternoon when my colleague 
and I and many others were over on the South Lawn of the White House to 
watch President Biden sign into law this historic investment in our 
Nation's infrastructure.
  There are two points that I want to make about it. First, this was 
absolutely needed. Both the International Council of Engineers as well 
as the American Council of Engineers rated the state of America's 
infrastructure anywhere as good as a C-minus to as bad as an F, 
depending on the given year.
  If you went back a century ago, the United States of America was the 
unquestioned leader in infrastructure. That is how we were able to 
build the American century. The fact that a century later we don't lead 
in that area should bother all of us as Americans.
  I want America to be number one. That is what we are called to do, to 
lead. Yet, the state of our infrastructure over years and years and 
decades had been allowed to fall behind. Well, not anymore. That is 
point number one, that it is needed.

                              {time}  1630

  Point number two, what it will produce is jobs. Frankly, the 
bipartisan infrastructure deal is a blue-collar blueprint for America.
  My family's background is one that is typical of so many of us in 
Philadelphia--blue-collar, working-class background. There used to be 
jobs aplenty if you didn't have a college education, but the reality 
is, as the United States and most of the West has transformed into a 
knowledge economy, if you are a blue-collar American, the last several 
decades have not been that good for you.
  Well, here is a piece of legislation to address that, to create 
millions of jobs that don't require a college degree.
  I passionately believe, as cofounder and co-chair of the Blue Collar 
Caucus, that it is not sufficient to say to a whole swath of Americans: 
Well, if you don't have a higher education, too bad. Just go get 
retrained, figure it out on your own.
  That is not good enough. We are talking about millions and millions 
of Americans who deserve to have family-sustaining jobs, who are smart, 
who are hard working. They just need their government to invest more in 
them, to create those opportunities.
  Well, sure enough, that is exactly what this bill does. My colleague, 
my fellow Pennsylvanian went down the list of the investments that we 
are making: Roads, bridges, rail, mass transit, replacing lead pipes, 
high-speed internet. The list goes on and on. It is an investment in 
America and our people.
  I am very proud that I voted in favor of this legislation, proud to 
have worked with my colleagues and this President to make this a 
reality.
  And, finally, I do just want to pay a special thanks to the 19 Senate 
Republicans and 13 House Republicans who did the right thing and joined 
with us. Obviously, the overwhelming majority of votes for this 
legislation came from Democrats, but it really says something in this 
highly partisan time that we were able to get a significant number of 
friends from the other side of the aisle to join with us and do the 
right thing on this piece of legislation.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Will the gentleman yield for a question?
  Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Yes.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. You mentioned being number one and competing. What 
are you talking about, being number one, on what list? And who do we 
have to compete with?
  Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Let's face it, we are in a 
worldwide competition, especially against China. And let me be clear, I 
am speaking about the Chinese Government, not its people. The Chinese 
regime does not share our values. It is not committed to democracy. Far 
from it. President Xi or dictator-for-life Xi actually challenges 
whether or not democracy will survive. We know that China, through its 
Belt and Road Initiative, is making infrastructure investments not only 
in China but in other parts of the world because they want to gain a 
foothold.
  I feel passionately about this. As a proud American, I make no 
apologies for the fact that I want us to be number one in the world. 
But I believe that it is actually best, not just for the United States, 
but best for all people in the world who yearn to breathe free.
  This infrastructure bill will help us not just domestically, but I do 
believe that as the United States grows, as we grow our economy, as we 
make an investment in people for whom the modern economy has not 
necessarily been a good deal, I believe we will help set a shining 
example to the rest of the world.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Boyle for his 
insights about the competition aspect.
  By delivering this infrastructure bill yesterday afternoon, as we 
did, Democrats are delivering millions of good-paying union jobs, jobs 
that will put pipefitters and plumbers to work replacing lead water 
pipes so every child in America can drink clean water. No more will we 
have the Flint, Michigans where little kids get poisoned by lead in 
their drinking water, because we are going to rip out all that 100-
year-old piping with the lead in it so that won't happen again.
  We will transform roads, rail, bridges, public transit, modernize our 
ports and airports and freight rail, manufacture solar panels, wind 
farms, batteries, electric vehicles to grow clean energy supply chains 
that we can export to the rest of the world.
  This is a transformational moment not only for the American economy 
but for the American future and the American people.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from the 4th Congressional 
District of Pennsylvania, Congresswoman Madeleine Dean, to elucidate 
further on what it means that we enacted this law yesterday afternoon. 
So far it is all Pennsylvanians.
  Ms. DEAN. Madam Speaker, I am so excited about this bill that I have 
gone hoarse talking about it, so I apologize for my gravelly voice, but 
it is not from any lack of enthusiasm for the bipartisan infrastructure 
bill, which is really a jobs bill.
  I want to just commend my colleagues from Pennsylvania and from 
around the country, as we fought for this bill, as we fought for this 
infrastructure investment, and as we voted on it, and then yesterday 
had the historic day of watching our President sign it into law.
  Madam Speaker, it was 10 years ago that I first ran for public 
office. I ran for township commissioner, and what I

[[Page H6303]]

said then was that I wanted to build a more buildable, walkable, 
commutable, bikeable infrastructure for my older-ring suburb of 
Philadelphia.
  Little did I know that I would then go on to serve as State 
representative for 6\1/2\ years. My proudest vote as a State 
representative was Act 89 of 2013, a bipartisan, multiyear investment 
in our infrastructure. My proudest vote.
  And look at us today. We now have the chance to make this much-needed 
investment in Pennsylvania and across the country in every district 
where dollars will be flowing to modernize our infrastructure, to make 
it greener.
  Here are just some of the estimates for what will be coming to 
Pennsylvania:
  $11.3 billion to upgrade roads and highways. We know that in my 
older-ring suburb our highways, our roads are in grave need of 
upgrading for safety and other purposes;
  $2.8 billion for public transportation. Again, in my suburbs, we rely 
upon public transportation, and we want it to be more reliable so that 
more people will be using it with ease to protect our climate and our 
streets;
  $1.4 billion in safe drinking water. Again, incredibly important 
across this country, whether from lead pipes, or from, as in my 
district and many others, the contamination of PFAS;
  $244 million investment in weatherization to our homes;
  $1.6 billion toward improving bridges. Pennsylvania sadly has a 
historic number of bridges in need of reconstruction or replacement;
  $100 million to expand broadband access; and
  $355 million to modernize airport infrastructure.
  There is so much we will be able to do with this bipartisan 
investment in our infrastructure.
  Know also that it is about growing jobs, good jobs, jobs of the 
future, and it is also anti-inflationary, which is something I know all 
of my constituents care about.
  I will end maybe on my grandchildren. I am so excited, and I will be 
telling them for years about the chance to work on the bipartisan 
infrastructure bill, the chance to vote for it, and the chance to stand 
alongside the President as he signed this 50-, 60-year investment in 
their futures. I hope they will be as proud as I am of the President 
and all of us for getting it done.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Will the gentlewoman yield for a question?
  Ms. DEAN. Certainly.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. It is a sad question, I have to say, because we call 
it the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, but the truth 
is, despite their best efforts to claim credit in local news across the 
country, 206 House Republicans voted against this bill. They voted 
against good-paying American jobs, they voted against roads, bridges, 
and rail systems, water systems and sewer systems, against broadband, 
and clean drinking water. They voted against the tools that we need to 
compete and win in the global economy as Representative Boyle pointed 
out.
  My question is why? Why would they vote against this belief in our 
country, this investment in our future? Why would they vote against it?
  Ms. DEAN. I certainly don't know what is in their heart or what is in 
their vote. But I will say that these were infrastructure investments 
that these very same Representatives fought for under the previous 
administration. They enthusiastically embraced week, after week, after 
week, after week as Infrastructure Week.
  I hope this is not the case, but sadly it seems as though the 
investments in their communities came down to a political choice 
because, as you have heard some people say--and they complain about 
this, but it is only testimony to the power of this bill--that this 
will actually perhaps give Democrats a win.
  We didn't do it for a win. We did it for a win for the American 
people, for our infrastructure, and for our future, but there is some 
awareness on the other side of the aisle that this is politically 
damaging to them. Sad to say.
  I do believe that it will be interesting to be at all the ribbon 
cuttings, and I hope in a bipartisan way all Members are at the ribbon 
cuttings because of the difference this will make, and it will be up to 
them to decide why they did vote ``no.''
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Madeleine Dean 
of the 4th Congressional District of Pennsylvania.
  This bill does so much, and we are so proud here tonight to talk 
about it. It is a win for the American people no matter which way you 
slice it.
  Building out our first ever national network of charging stations so 
families can travel coast to coast in electric vehicles, making high-
speed internet available and affordable for every household in America, 
especially those rural, hard-to-get-to places, cleaning up brownfields 
and Superfund sites, as well as plugging, as I said before, abandoned 
mine lands and orphan wells to stop pollution and protect public health 
and to build up our resistance to superstorms, droughts, wildfires, and 
hurricanes that cost us billions of dollars in damage, $99 billion last 
year alone.
  This bipartisan infrastructure deal is a blue-collar blueprint to 
rebuild America, and a majority of these jobs, as Representative Boyle 
pointed out, do not require a college degree.
  So the question is, what does it mean to us? What does it mean to us 
that we have passed this magnificent, enormous investment in American 
infrastructure, this belief in our Nation's future?
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. 
Cicilline) to describe what it means to him and his 1st District 
constituents.
  Mr. CICILLINE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and 
for convening this Special Order hour.
  The impact of this legislation is significant in my home State of 
Rhode Island and all across our country. The United States has the 
largest economy in the world, yet our roads and bridges are crumbling, 
our ports and airports are in disrepair, over 10 million households do 
not have safe drinking water. This is unacceptable.
  We cannot compete in a global economy unless we can move goods, 
services, and information to compete in the 21st century.
  The bipartisan infrastructure bill which President Biden signed, and 
we worked hard to pass, invests $550 billion in new funding to bring 
America's infrastructure into the 21st century so that we cannot only 
improve the quality of life, grow our economy, create millions of good-
paying jobs, but also to ensure that we can compete globally.
  This legislation, which the President signed yesterday, includes the 
largest ever Federal investments in public transit, clean drinking 
water and wastewater infrastructure, and clean energy transmission and 
electric vehicle infrastructure. It includes the largest investment in 
passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak, and the largest dedicated 
bridge investment since we built the Interstate Highway System.
  This legislation will create millions of good-paying union jobs while 
also addressing the critical infrastructure needs of our country and of 
my home State of Rhode Island.
  This monumental investment in infrastructure is the first part of a 
plan to not only create good-paying jobs but to ensure Americans have 
the support they need to succeed in those jobs. Combined with the Build 
Back Better Act, these two historic bills will create 1\1/2\ million 
good-paying jobs each year over the next decade and accelerate 
America's path to full employment.

                              {time}  1645

  For Rhode Island with this bill enacted into law, we will see $2.5 
billion coming straight to Rhode Island to help fix our roads and 
bridges, replace lead pipes, improve our public transportation system, 
and increase broadband access. And that is not to mention the billions 
of dollars in dedicated funding for Amtrak's Northeast corridor, which 
will certainly benefit Rhode Islanders and all of us in New England.
  Our State has the highest percentage of structurally deficient 
bridges in the country. In 2019, 22.3 percent of our bridges were 
structurally deficient. In 2020, our State's infrastructure was given a 
C minus by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
  This is unacceptable and unsafe.
  The funding streams that this legislation will provide are the 
following: $1.5 billion for Federal aid highway apportioned programs; 
$242 million for

[[Page H6304]]

bridge replacement and repairs in Rhode Island; $272 million to improve 
public transportation in Rhode Island; $23 million to support expansion 
of the State's electric vehicle charging network in Rhode Island; $100 
million to expand broadband connectivity, including providing access to 
the 14,000 Rhode Islanders who currently lack it; and 247,000 Rhode 
Islanders, 24 percent of Rhode Island, will be eligible for the 
Affordable Connectivity Benefit to help working families afford 
internet access; $2 million to protect against wildfires; $10.9 million 
to protect against cyberattacks; $378 million to improve water 
infrastructure; and $45 million for our airports.
  These are significant, historic investments in rebuilding the 
infrastructure of our State, and the same thing is happening in States 
all across America.
  I salute the President for his strong leadership. I salute my 
colleagues that worked so hard on this legislation. It is going to help 
ensure that America can compete again in the global economy.
  And most importantly, it will improve the quality of our lives for 
our constituents. It will improve our economy. It will grow good-paying 
jobs. And it will make America proud of the quality of its 
infrastructure once again.
  I want to end by particularly acknowledging the men and women in the 
building trades who are going to do this work; and do it with such 
pride that they are not only going to improve our economy, but also 
improve our quality of life. I salute all of the men and women in the 
building trades.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. You also mentioned competition, and Congressman Boyle 
brought that up. And you also mentioned how much is going into 
broadband internet availability in Rhode Island.
  How does that affect competition and the ability of Rhode Islanders 
to compete?
  Mr. CICILLINE. Will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. I yield to the gentleman from Rhode Island.
  Mr. CICILLINE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the question.
  I think when you look at particularly what we experienced during 
COVID, we saw some of the difficulties that families--particularly 
families with young children--had in accessing the internet so they 
could receive school instruction. And the reality is you need internet 
connections to access the world and to be able to communicate and be 
able to learn in the 21st century.
  And there were young people who were actually going to parking lots 
of McDonald's and other places that might have internet to do their 
homework. That can't happen in America.
  And so we want to ensure that rebuilding our infrastructure provides 
opportunities for every single young person in this country to realize 
their full potential. Because we are not just competing with the kid 
next door, we are competing with kids in China, Japan, and all over the 
world.
  We want to ensure that we have an infrastructure to support the 
economic growth we need. We also want to ensure that we can deliver 
goods, services, and information in the 21st century and that we are 
training young people and educating young people and training workers 
to compete successfully. You can't do that without infrastructure to 
support that development, that knowledge, and the work that needs to be 
done.
  You think of the experiences we saw during COVID. It made it very 
clear that we needed to move quickly. Our competitors around the world 
are investing tens of billions of dollars in infrastructure. They are 
competing directly with us.
  This is a race for the 21st century and a race we are going to win in 
large part because we are finally investing in America's 
infrastructure.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I think Mr. Cicilline is right. I 
think competition is maybe the biggest point of the bipartisan 
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Competition that will not only 
grease the skids for our companies to bring their products to market 
and to innovate and to compete with companies all over the world, but 
maybe more importantly, to allow our individuals--as Mr. Cicilline just 
pointed out--to make the most of themselves.
  It was about 80 years ago that we had the Rural Electrification Act 
in the United States, and it did pretty much the same thing with 
electricity because you had pockets, little corners of America, rural 
places mostly, that didn't have electric power. And to think how far 
they would have been left behind if 80 years ago the government didn't 
make the effort to include all of America as we moved forward into the 
modern age of electricity; it is the same thing with internet 
connectivity, isn't it?
  Mr. CICILLINE. Absolutely.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, another thing we did in the past to 
invest in ourselves was the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System. This 
was something that the greatest generation did, Madam Speaker. They 
came back from World War II--we just honored a World War II hero of the 
Bataan Death March--but these folks came home from all of the 
privations and sacrifices and suffering that they went through in the 
war, and what did they do? They sacrificed more for us for the future, 
what was then the future, what is now us. They sacrificed for us. They 
built the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System.

  What did it do? It greased the skids for American companies, enabled 
companies to bring their products to market faster and more cheaply and 
in a way that enabled them to compete with every other country in the 
world.
  This is the kind of investment that makes America win in competitions 
all over the world.
  You don't have to be an engineer to understand these things. You 
don't have to be a mechanical engineer to know that this is exactly 
what we need to be doing in the United States of America these days. It 
was a wonder that it took until now.
  Certainly, my entire time in Congress I have been waiting for a major 
infrastructure bill to come through to beef up our roads and our 
bridges; our water systems and our sewer systems; our broadband 
internet; and move us into the next century to compete with China, 
Europe, Russia, and all of the places that would do away with us if 
they could beat us.
  It was just yesterday afternoon that this bill, the bipartisan 
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, was signed into law on the 
south lawn of the White House. And who was sitting next to me in the 
chair to my left, but Representative Paul Tonko of the 20th District of 
New York, who happens to be a mechanical engineer, and he knows one or 
two things about making things work; making them work better, more 
efficiently, faster, and cheaper.
  What does it mean to you, Representative Tonko, that we pass this 
bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act?
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko).
  Mr. TONKO. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for leading us in 
this discussion this evening.
  So what does the infrastructure bill mean to my district, mean to me? 
I think it is sharpening our competitive edge.
  And when you are out there functioning in a global economy, we may 
not be the only force out there as we were decades ago, and so 
sharpening that pencil and making certain we cut costs, costs for 
families, costs for production, and providing for resources that will 
put the tools in the kit that are required for a 21st century economy 
is what it is all about. We have back-burnered infrastructure for far 
too long.
  Having been here now, this is my 13th year in Congress, 
infrastructure is not a Democratic or Republican idea. People have been 
talking about it in both Chambers in both parties for a long time. And 
every week in the last administration was infrastructure week.
  But finally it took leadership.
  President Biden, with his experience of almost four decades in the 
Senate and serving as Vice President, knew about those relationships. 
He knew that you had to negotiate across party lines, you had to 
negotiate across House lines to make certain that working with his 
administration and with his cabinet officials we would come up with a 
blueprint for a sound economy. And that is exactly what happened here.

[[Page H6305]]

  Yesterday's bill signing was exciting. We were sitting together on 
that south lawn.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. It was chilly.
  Mr. TONKO. It was chilly and windy, so it felt even chillier than it 
was. But what was so important to recognize and to consume was that 
what you had here was a President who is in the likes of Abraham 
Lincoln, who built an intercontinental rail system; President Teddy 
Roosevelt, who set up a National Parks System; President Dwight 
Eisenhower, who set up the Interstate Highway System. This person 
stands as a giant when it comes to infrastructure now, someone who 
brought us together; and it wasn't talk on and on, it was negotiations. 
And finally now the first step in this process, the huge downpayment on 
our infrastructure, is very vital.
  So to me it is about competition, but it is also about hope, 
providing a spirit of hope for working families in this country to know 
that there is a bolder tomorrow.
  I liken our country to the pioneer spirit. I think it is part of our 
DNA. We showed again that there is spirit, spirit to embrace invention 
and innovation as we are going through R&D dollars to develop more 
efficiency and effectiveness with wind power.
  We are going to invest in my State and across the 50 States in 
infrastructure that ranges from roads and bridges to ports, making them 
more secure, more equipped for the modern economy, making certain that 
we are providing for a response to the transportation sector for 
climate's sake.
  This allows us to be better stewards in protecting our planet, making 
certain the next generations that follow us will have a better world. 
That is done by us making certain that in my State where there are 
those nonattainment areas, in accordance with the Clean Air Act, they 
will now clean up that air that they breathe; the water that they 
drink; the soils that they can restore. That is part of an economic 
response.
  And as we restore some of those sites--many of them are in 
communities of color, neighborhoods of Brown and Black people, who will 
now prosper because they will remediate these soils and now go forward 
with opportunities for work.
  So this is about putting people to work. The jobs that will be part 
of this will be tremendous. And it is just a green light to go forward 
and really focus on our efforts as we travel forward to invest in those 
dynamics that truly matter.
  I look at my State, they are scheduled to receive approximately--we 
are still working out the numbers--some $30 million to build our 
airports into a stronger bit of infrastructure. Important in 
international travel. Making certain that we invest in the Northeast 
corridor with Amtrak. Our rail system requires, for safety sake and 
ridership time, an investment. And so those dollars of some $66 billion 
will be going towards Amtrak. $100 billion going toward roads and 
bridges in this country. Making certain that we address one of the 
issues very important to the subcommittee that I chair, the 
Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change, that reports to the 
standing Committee on Energy and Commerce, that subcommittee under its 
umbrella has the responsibilities of implementing the Safe Drinking 
Water Act. And what we found is that we need to invest heavily in our 
drinking water infrastructure.

  Think of it, the spaghetti below our communities, below our feet, is 
so critical in getting a commodity that is essential, sound, pristine 
drinking water to industry, to homes, to schools. That begins and ends 
with sound infrastructure.
  And some of this infrastructure, Representative Cartwright, is dating 
back to the days of Rutherford B. Hayes in the White House.
  We are not content with our phones because they are outdated, and we 
have had them 2 years. We are not content with our TV screen because it 
is not large enough. We are tired of the miles on the car or the color 
of it, so we get a new vehicle. But we are content to sit there with 
100-year-old pipes that are providing an essential commodity for this 
economy and for the safety of people in their homes and in schools.
  So this is about investing $55 billion in lead pipe removal, which is 
going to put a lot of pipefitters and plumbers into working situations 
as they replace these pipes. No child, no family should be drinking 
water that is lead infested. And for us to know that there are 10,000 
pipes actively serving communities across this country, it is far past 
time to respond to that replacement mechanism, which this bill does.
  So, obviously, I am listening to the colloquy you have had with so 
many of our colleagues tonight, and we can go on and on about the 
benefits of this bill. There are tremendous benefits that put people to 
work in union jobs so that they will be given a salary, a check, a 
paycheck that is commensurate with the skill and the talent they bring 
for all of us as Americans.

                              {time}  1700

  And putting people to work, stronger stewardship of our planet, and 
innovation concepts that will take us to the next economy of the 21st 
century, these are all virtuous outcomes. And how 206 Members of this 
House could vote against infrastructure when they talked about it, they 
touted it for years. But they were okay to support a tax cut that went 
to the 1 percent of wealth of this country and some of the largest 
corporations in the world. But for the working families, for the middle 
class community of this country, for those looking to ascend the middle 
class, there was a ``no'' vote, while you could have made it so 
competitive, sharpen that competitive edge, give us the skills and the 
talents and the resources we need, making certain we go forward with a 
sense of hope, a spirit of hope that we can do, that we can embrace 
that pioneer spirit of this country.
  Madam Speaker, the President yesterday said to the President of 
China, I believe it was, when he asked him, What is America? How would 
you define it?
  Possibilities. Opportunity. Possibility. Pioneer spirit. All of that 
comes together in one venue that is enabled by these bills that are 
going to address infrastructure. And that bill signing yesterday for 
that infrastructure bill, that was a powerful statement, a powerful 
moment. One that says ``can do.'' Yes, America. We are back. We are 
going to make certain that all of the good work that is done will 
improve our economy, strengthen our economy, and provide for a 
competitive edge that will keep us the strong economy in the world that 
we ought to be.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. It is an afternoon we won't soon forget.
  Mr. TONKO. Not at all.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Will the gentleman yield for a question?
  Mr. TONKO. Absolutely.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Well now, of course, the press has noted with 
interest that it took us weeks and months to sort out all the details 
and finally get it to the White House for signature.
  Here is my question: Contrast those weeks and months with how long 
will this country benefit from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment 
and Jobs Act? How long?
  Mr. TONKO. Oh my gosh, this is generational. We haven't seen this 
kind of investment in ages. So when we look back at that interstate 
railroad system, we look back at the park system, we look back at the 
interstate issues, these are infrastructure investments that are still 
providing for us.
  I look at some of the work that came under President Franklin 
Roosevelt's administration and the infrastructure in my district, 
phenomenal schools that are like fortresses that are part of the 
cityscape, the landscape of any community that are still tremendous 
bits of architecture that are serving a very useful purpose.
  When we think about the Rural Electrification Act of about a century 
ago, people are still prospering from that connection. As you called 
it, the pockets that were unserved or underserved.
  So this is going to be a lifetime and beyond for even the youngest of 
our communities, as we celebrated yesterday.
  We look at the broadband that is also part of this process, how can 
you allow for communities to go unserved or underserved. This is about 
children doing their homework. This is about cottage industry surviving 
and growing. This is about security for those who live in remote rural 
areas or in some poor neighborhoods. This is a connection with the 
outside world. So the connection that

[[Page H6306]]

comes with this via rail, via airports, via jobs, via infrastructure, 
via water systems that will serve us well.
  I remember being back in the beginning of my elected capacity in a 
county government situation. We were much stronger in our response to 
water. Today, we are at about 4\1/2\ percent of any project--4\1/2\ 
percent is contributed from the Federal Government. It is time to 
change that.
  And you know what, the message that I think is important also, 
Representative Cartwright, is that these issues, these concerns, these 
needs--and they are needs--don't go away. So either pay for them at a 
Federal level where there are much more progressive opportunities to 
create the revenues--and by the way, this is all paid for, which is a 
great highlight--but we had those more progressive opportunities for 
revenues rather than relying on a property tax as it percolates down 
into the most local of levels and say, Okay, you need this water, dig 
into the purse for the property tax. Unfair. Unacceptable.
  So we are here now celebrating what can be a golden moment. It was 
just great to gather together yesterday and see mayors of both parties, 
see governors of both parties, see the cabinet officials, seeing union 
labor, seeing the private sector, seeing the faith community, all 
gathering together applauding and recognizing the leadership, the 
profound leadership of President Biden, Vice President Harris, their 
Cabinet, and certainly those who voted for the measure in the Senate 
and in the House here in Washington.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Will the gentleman yield for another question?
  Mr. TONKO. Sure.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. So we have all been seeing these images of 75, 80 
cargo ships off the coast of California, Long Beach, Los Angeles, 
waiting to get in because we are starting up our economy after the 
pandemic was shut down. Obviously, it is not something we went to 
school for--shutting down an American economy and starting it back up--
but that is what we are doing, and we are muddling through it. And 
there are some painful price hikes here and there because of it--hard 
to say how long they will go on.
  But the one thing that struck me was all of those containerships 
full, they told me that it takes 7,000 tractor-trailers to unload a 
containership. That is 7,000 containers on a ship, and over 70 or 80 
ships out there in the harbor. All of these manufactured goods coming 
from China.

  And it said to me, we read about the trade imbalance, we learn about 
the trade imbalance, we learn that China is out-manufacturing us and we 
are buying their goods. But, man, until you see those ships out in the 
harbor offshore, it doesn't really hit home how much they are beating 
us at manufacturing. What does this bill do to address that?
  Mr. TONKO. Well, of course, we are modernizing our ports. We are 
modernizing our roads and bridges. We are making certain that we have a 
state-of-the-art grid for electricity sake so that as you integrate 
renewables, and integrate distributed generation; you need that state-
of-the-art grid. So all of this investment, starting with the 
modernization of the ports allows us to take this in.
  You brought up a really good point. This pandemic rocked this economy 
here in the U.S. and around the world in a way that we haven't seen in 
over 100 years. And for us now to be experiencing this aftermath 
shouldn't be a surprise. People are staying home not spending. They 
didn't go shopping; they were afraid, as they should be. They were 
warned not to go into stores and spread the virus.
  So it rocked the economy. And so there was a supply that was 
building, and the demand was way down. And now we are trying to steady 
this out. This infrastructure issue will help us. We need to work 
through this now to steady the economy because we saw spikes that 
obviously aren't acceptable.
  The President and his team will use this infrastructure measure and 
other concepts to make certain we come back and steady the economy in a 
way that will get us back to normal--that is so important to do--and to 
be visionary.
  I see that Representative Ross is going to join us from North 
Carolina, and we have been working together--perhaps you have been 
working with Representative Ross, too--on offshore wind. There is a 
visionary piece. And there is a way for us to really build the energy 
supply in a way that is going to put a lot of people to work.
  So Representative Cartwright, thank you for leading us in this 
discussion tonight.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. And I like the point about how shutting down for the 
pandemic, it kind of taught us a lot of things about our own economy, 
about the pockets of, for example, the gig workers nobody was thinking 
about at the outset; we had to include them in the relief money. But, 
man, when we saw these ships piling up offshore, it really brought home 
to me really how we are being out-manufactured and we have to pick up 
our game.
  Investing in our infrastructure, what do you think? Is it going to 
help?
  Mr. TONKO. This bill is definitely going to address the supply-chain 
concern. The pandemic was so instructive--supply chain, technology, 
reliance on technology--making certain we learn these lessons; take 
them to mind, take them to heart, and respond. And this administration 
is about that.
  A golden moment, a celebratory moment, once in a lifetime, once in a 
generation, I am just proud to witness it. Proud to witness it and to 
have cast a ``yes'' vote.
  I thank all of my colleagues in the House that voted yes for 
strengthening the muscle of the American economy and the American 
worker.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. It is a victory for America that we will treasure and 
favor for many years to come.
  Mr. TONKO. No matter what political label you have at the end of the 
day, we are all going to prosper.
  When you see these headlines across the country, ``billions coming to 
X State,'' and then the sidebar discussion: Entire delegation voted 
``no.'' You explain it to the public.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Paul Tonko from 
the 20th District of New York for his insights and also for helping me 
introduce our next speaker, the dynamic Representative Ross from the 
Second District of North Carolina, where innovation is second nature.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. 
Ross).
  Ms. ROSS. Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Cartwright for yielding 
and for his leadership.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today to discuss the Infrastructure Investment 
and Jobs Act that will bring America's aging infrastructure into the 
21st century.
  I was honored to join Madam Speaker and our other colleagues at the 
White House as the President signed this historic legislation into law.
  In Congress, I am extremely proud to represent Wake County, North 
Carolina, one of the fastest growing counties in the United States. We 
are a powerful economic engine for our State and for our region, but, 
sadly, our infrastructure has not grown with our community. We need 
seamless transportation networks to connect Wake County to the rest of 
the Nation--modern infrastructure that can help us bring the innovation 
that happens in the Research Triangle to the country and to the world.

  This historic legislation will help us, our people, get to work and 
school and products from our groundbreaking companies get to markets 
across America and around the globe.
  In North Carolina, there are about 1,500 bridges and more than 3,000 
highways in poor condition. This bill will devote $110 billion to 
upgrade roads and bridges and finance other major transportation 
projects.
  Over the next 20 years, North Carolina's drinking water 
infrastructure will require billions in additional funding.
  This bill provides funds to replace lead pipes in the country and 
help ensure that all of our children can enjoy clean drinking water. It 
will also address the toxic threat of PFAS contamination.
  This bill modernizes our Nation's electric grid to protect against 
storm damage and unlock the full potential of clean energy. It also 
creates jobs in the clean energy manufacturing sector, a sector where 
our State is positioned to lead the Nation.
  In addition, it expands broadband connectivity in underserved 
communities, helping to ensure that all of our

[[Page H6307]]

students and businesses can access dependable, affordable internet.
  The jobs created by this infrastructure package are jobs that cannot 
be outsourced. This package will boost all of our workers, from the 
folks who pave the roads to the scientists and engineers who are 
designing 21st century transportation networks, more efficient water 
and sewer systems, and cutting edge electrical grids.
  Thanks to this package, engineering graduates from schools like North 
Carolina State and graduates from Wake Tech, Shaw, and St. 
Augustine's--all in my district--will help build the bridges in our 
communities that one day many years from now they will proudly show 
their grandchildren.
  We are delivering on the President's promise to pass legislation that 
improves the lives of ordinary people and creates good-paying jobs.
  This bill is a testament to what we can achieve when we give 
bipartisanship a chance, when we set our differences aside and commit 
to the hard work of finding common ground.
  This is good for North Carolina and great for the country.

                              {time}  1715

  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, may I ask how much time is remaining.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Pennsylvania has 3 
minutes remaining.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Costa).
  Mr. COSTA. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend, Congressman Cartwright, 
for allowing me the opportunity to speak on the bipartisan 
infrastructure package. The fact of the matter is, this is long 
overdue.
  We have been living off the investments our parents and our 
grandparents made a generation or two ago. During most of the 20th 
century, America led the world in investment in its water, in its 
transportation, in its electrical grid, all the things that have made 
us the great country that we are.
  In recent decades, we have lagged behind. We now rank 13th in the 
world in terms of the amount of investment that we make in American 
people because investing in our water, in our transportation, in our 
roads and bridges, in our internet system, that is investing in people. 
That is investing in people who create jobs that make the economy 
better.
  As a result of the passage of this bipartisan infrastructure bill, 
for the first time in a long time, America will lead the world next 
year in investments in the future in our water, our transportation, our 
electrical grid, and all the things that are a part of this piece of 
legislation.
  We can't just take our eye off the ball. We have to continue these 
investments. In California, in the San Joaquin Valley that I represent, 
these investments are going to be billions of dollars in our water 
system. We have horrific droughts that we are experiencing right now. 
With climate change and the other efforts in this legislation to deal 
with the impacts of climate change, we need to ensure that we have a 
sustainable water supply in California for our farms and farm 
communities, as well as ensuring that we have clean drinking water for 
rural areas that don't have it today. This legislation does just that.
  This legislation also takes an opportunity to look at the other areas 
that we need to do in the next piece of legislation: childcare for 
millions of women who want to get back to work; and providing efforts 
to improve our healthcare system, to fully fund the Affordable Care 
Act, a promise we made 11 years ago.
  My district had 25 percent uninsured. Eleven years later, only 10 
percent of my district is uninsured. These are the kind of investments 
we need to make in people.
  I thank my colleagues for supporting this effort. Yesterday was a 
wonderful afternoon with the President, with my colleagues, Republicans 
and Democrats alike, to really celebrate the fact that we are beginning 
to do what the American people sent us to do, which is get the job done 
and invest in our country.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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