[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 7981]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   OUR NATION'S INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS

  (Mrs. BEATTY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with hundreds of business, 
labor, and advocacy organizations to recognize National Infrastructure 
Week. The purpose of this week is to highlight the state of the 
Nation's infrastructure and its critical importance to our economy and 
well-being.
  Building and strengthening our infrastructure is vital to all of us, 
but it oftentimes goes unnoticed. Our Nation's deteriorating 
infrastructure is hampering our ability to compete in the thriving 
global economy and create jobs that our Nation needs. As an example, in 
my home State of Ohio, we face significant challenges: 17 percent of 
the public roads are in poor condition, and almost 7 percent of all the 
bridges are structurally deficient.
  Mr. Speaker, we cannot continue to turn a blind eye to our Nation's 
infrastructure needs. Congress must work together to upgrade our 
Nation's highways, bridges, airports, water systems, energy grid, 
broadband network, and the like so that our economy can continue to 
lead the world in the 21st century and beyond.

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