[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6754]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE WEEK

  (Ms. KELLY of Illinois asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of National 
Infrastructure Week.
  Our national infrastructure is in dire need of repair. The American 
Society of Civil Engineers' most recent report card gave American 
infrastructure a D-plus.
  Many of us here are parents. If your child came home with a D-plus, 
you would work with them on their homework, find a tutor, or maybe 
punish them. Yet our response to a near failing infrastructure grade is 
neglect.
  In the short term, investments in our national infrastructure create 
jobs. In the long term, they help communities grow and expand 
opportunity.
  I recently met with Transportation Secretary Foxx to discuss the 
proposed South Suburban Airport. With the national spotlight on the 
long lines at O'Hare and Midway, it is clear that the Chicago region 
needs an investment in a new airport to expand the region's air traffic 
capacity.
  Investing in infrastructure is a win in both the short term and the 
long term. So this week, I urge my colleagues to stand with me and work 
together to invest in our future by improving and strengthening our 
Nation's infrastructure.

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