[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18382]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        INFRASTRUCTURE SPENDING

  (Mr. CURSON of Michigan asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. CURSON of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, more than 12 million Americans 
are still searching for work. The fiscal cliff and deficit reduction 
are important for our Nation's economic health in the long term, but we 
need to remember in the short term, we need job creation to get the 
economy moving again. We can do that by investing in our Nation's 
infrastructure.
  By investing in our infrastructure, we put people to work and create 
revenue immediately. More people working lessens the strain on 
unemployment and family assistance programs and generates more employed 
persons paying taxes. Putting people back to work is a deficit-
reduction plan.
  The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that $1 billion in 
highway investments can create nearly 28,000 well-paying construction 
jobs. Because infrastructure investment is not only a huge boost to the 
economy, it's critically needed. Historically, the issue has had 
bipartisan support because it's so critically important. If you need to 
get to the other side of a bridge, it doesn't matter if you're a 
Republican or a Democrat, you need to get to the other side.
  Now is the time for America to invest in maintaining and upgrading 
our infrastructure. Let's put America back to work.

                          ____________________