[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 171 (Tuesday, November 19, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6626-S6627]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND JOBS ACT

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, it was not too long ago that the phrase 
``infrastructure week'' was little more

[[Page S6627]]

than a punchline. Our roads and bridges were crumbling, our water 
systems were aging, and too many students were struggling to complete 
their homework assignments because they lacked access to reliable 
internet.
  But 3 years ago, we finally came together on a bipartisan basis to 
agree that investing in our Nation's infrastructure is not a joke, and 
we did something about it. Last Friday marked 3 years since President 
Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act--also known as 
the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law--into law.
  Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we have made historic 
investments in America. Since its enactment, the Biden-Harris 
administration has announced $568 billion in funding for more than 
66,000 projects across all 50 States, DC, the territories, and Tribes. 
This funding has helped repair more than 196,000 miles of road, update 
11,400 bridges, replace more than 350,000 lead pipes, and create nearly 
16 million jobs.
  As the son of two railroad workers, an aspect of these achievements 
that is most exciting to me is the $66 billion invested in rail, which 
is the largest investment in passenger rail since the inception of 
Amtrak. For Illinoisans, this is especially important because Chicago 
is the rail hub of North America, with more trackage radiating in more 
directions than any other city. And thanks to the Bipartisan 
Infrastructure Law, our rail is becoming more efficient and reliable 
every day.
  Senator Duckworth and I have worked to make sure these historic 
levels of investment in transportation and infrastructure are felt in 
Illinois. The Biden administration invested $18.9 billion in our 
State's public infrastructure--$12.2 billion going to transportation. 
This also includes $1.5 billion for clean water, including $578 million 
dedicated to lead pipe and service line replacement.
  For Illinoisans, this has meant investments through hundreds of grant 
awards all across the State, investments like CTA's long-awaited red 
line extension project, which will bring faster, more accessible 
transit options to our community, create thousands of jobs, and 
strengthen our economy. It has meant three large grant awards for 
O'Hare International Airport. This is one of our Nation's largest and 
busiest airports, and this funding will help it update its terminals 
and make sure Americans can get from point A to point B safely and on 
time.
  It has meant millions of dollars invested in improving Chicago's 
Union Station, one of the Nation's busiest rail stations; in finishing 
the Springfield Rail Improvements Project--a decade-long effort to 
relocate the rail corridor in our State's capital; adding new zero 
emissions buses to fleets across the State, including in Rock Island 
and Rockford; and in completing the Chicago Region Environmental 
Transportation Efficiency or ``CREATE'' program, which will untangle 
rail bottlenecks in the Chicago region.
  It also has meant investments in improving roadways like Goshen Road 
down in Edwardsville and replacing outdated railcars in East St. Louis. 
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is making America's public 
infrastructure more reliable and cost-efficient.
  Now, there is no doubt that these historic investments serve hard-
working families, strengthen our economy, and make us more competitive 
on the world stage. Now, some of you might say, ``Well, that all sounds 
great, but how did we pay for all of this?''
  I am happy to share that this law was paid for, in part, by a bill of 
mine called the REFUND Act, which requires drug manufacturers to pay a 
rebate to Medicare for unused and discarded medications. You see, for 
far too long, Big Pharma packaged expensive drugs in excessive, Costco-
sized vials and made taxpayers and seniors foot the bill for leftover 
medication that was literally thrown in the trash. With this 
legislation, not only did the profiteering come to an end, we are 
saving seniors and taxpayers billions of dollars that helped to offset 
the cost of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
  When Americans need to take the bus, cross a bridge, or hop on the 
train to get to work in the morning, when they need to catch a flight 
to attend a family gathering, when they need to fill a pot or glass of 
water or connect to the internet, they expect that our Nation's 
infrastructure will safely, cheaply, and reliably deliver for them.
  In addition to making our infrastructure more dependable, the 
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has already created millions of good-
paying, union jobs, boosted domestic manufacturing, and grown our 
economy from the middle out and the bottom up in every community. In 
red States and blue States alike, in communities rural and urban, this 
law is investing in America the way Americans deserve.

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