[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 41 (Thursday, March 7, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2252-S2253]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       I-27 NUMBERING ACT OF 2023

  Mr. CRUZ. Mr. President, I rise today to pass the I-27 Numbering Act, 
bipartisan legislation to officially designate the route between 
Laredo, TX, and Raton, NM, as the future Interstate 27.
  I will say I am particularly gratified that the Senator from New 
Mexico is presiding because this is legislation that he and I offered 
together. It is bipartisan legislation that is supported by the State 
of Texas and the State of New Mexico.
  This bill is the next step to advance major highway infrastructure in 
Texas and New Mexico that will support trade and commerce and jobs and 
economic development.
  What is so important about a future interstate number?
  By officially designating the highways between Laredo and Raton as 
future Interstate 27, this bill is a clear signal to the communities 
and businesses across Texas and New Mexico that Congress supports their 
work to develop the current highways to become part of the Interstate 
System.
  Communities across this route need better infrastructure because of 
the increasing demands to move goods and people. Last year, Mexico was 
the top U.S. trade partner, with $798 billion of trade between our 
nations. That is higher than the trade with our second and third 
biggest trading partners, Canada and China.
  Even better, the port of entry in Laredo, TX, was the top trade 
gateway in the United States, outperforming the Port of Los Angeles--
Laredo, TX. This is fantastic news for Texas. It means more jobs and 
economic development in Texas to move those goods. It is also part of a 
broader trend of a flourishing freight business in Texas.

[[Page S2253]]

  Last year, I was proud to pass bipartisan, bicameral legislation to 
streamline the Presidential permit application process for bridges 
across the Rio Grande River in South Texas--four bridges: two in 
Laredo, one in Brownsville, one in Eagle Pass. And two of them are 
along the future I-27 route, the World Trade Bridge in Laredo, 
currently with 8 lanes--the proposal is to expand that to 18 lanes--and 
the Puerto Verde Bridge in Maverick County.
  Passing the I-27 Numbering Act would support the increased trade we 
are expecting to come across those new bridges and those new lanes of 
traffic.
  We have received letters of support for the I-27 Numbering Act from 
the Texas and New Mexico Departments of Transportation, the agencies 
tasked with building infrastructure along this route. We also have 
strong support from the Ports-to-Plains Alliance, which has worked so 
hard to bring the ports-to-plains route to reality. We have strong 
support from cities up and down the future Interstate 27.
  Notably, the Texas Department of Transportation is working to improve 
infrastructure all along the future I-27. TxDOT currently has $5.5 
billion in active projects along the route related to planning, 
engineering, and construction, including $481 million from the Texas 
Transportation Commission to upgrade parts of the route to a four-lane 
divided highway.
  I want to thank Senator Lujan, who is presiding right now; Senator 
Cornyn, my colleague from Texas; and Senator Heinrich, your colleague 
from New Mexico, for working hand in hand with me on this bill. It is 
notable that all four Senators representing Texas and New Mexico are 
standing in unison with this bill because it is good for Texas, it is 
good for New Mexico, and it is good for the country.
  There should be no objection to this bill. The Senate previously 
passed this bill unanimously in July of last year. It then passed the 
House, which made some very small technical changes in December of last 
year. And there were no substantive changes to the bill, which means 
there should be no objections here now. The Senate should pass the I-27 
Numbering Act today.
  Before I proceed, I want to yield to my colleague from Texas, Senator 
Cornyn.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.
  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I want to thank Senator Cruz for his 
leadership on this legislation, which I am, of course, proud to 
cosponsor. We represent a booming State. We represent in excess of 30 
million people, and because of geopolitical shifts of manufacturing 
from China back to near shore or places like Mexico, thanks to the 
USMCA--the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement--we are mutually 
dependent with Mexico and Canada for trade, which creates millions of 
jobs right here in America, and principally in Texas.
  The first time I went to Lubbock, TX, when I ran for statewide 
office, a former Congressman, Randy Neugebauer, before he was a Member 
of Congress, said: There are three things you need to remember about 
Lubbock, TX: cotton, Texas Tech University, and ports to plains. It was 
that important back then, and it is even more important today.
  So the ports-to-plains system, as Senator Cruz pointed out, is a 963-
mile transportation corridor. And building on the success we had in 
passing a bill to designate the Ports-to-Plains Corridor in Texas and 
New Mexico as an interstate, this I-27 Numbering Act does exactly that.
  I look forward to seeing the Ports-to-Plains Corridor fuel more 
trade, more jobs, more energy security, and agricultural production for 
years to come.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.
  Mr. CRUZ. Mr. President, as if in legislative session, I ask the 
Chair to lay before the Senate the message to accompany S. 992.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair lays before the Senate the following 
message from the House, which the clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       Resolved, That the bill from the Senate (S. 992) entitled 
     ``An Act to amend the Intermodal Surface Transportation 
     Efficiency Act of 1991 to designate the Texas and New Mexico 
     portions of the future Interstate-designated segments of the 
     Port-to-Plains Corridor as Interstate Route 27, and for other 
     purposes.'', do pass with an amendment.


                            Motion to Concur

  Mr. CRUZ. I move to concur in the House amendment, and I ask 
unanimous consent that the motion be agreed to and that the motion to 
reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. CRUZ. I yield the floor.

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