[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8050]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               WE NEED TO FIX OUR FAILING INFRASTRUCTURE

  (Mr. POLIS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, you know, if there is an issue that has the 
opportunity to pull Congress together, it is the need to fix our 
failing infrastructure. You all know the statistics, but suffice it to 
say, if your child had the grade of our infrastructure, they would be 
going to summer school this summer.
  In my district in Colorado, it is the upgrades for Interstate 25 
between Denver and Fort Collins for the tens of thousands of commuters 
each day; it is the backup from skier traffic returning from the 
mountains on Interstate 70, or our Northwest line commuter rail that is 
35 years behind schedule.
  Of course, there are people who came within a hair's breadth of 
missing their flight because of interstate traffic. What is happening 
to my district and my State is happening across the country.
  But it is not just roads and bridges we need to fix. To connect and 
improve our communities, the true definition of infrastructure includes 
investments in broadband, 21st century infrastructure, clean water 
systems, schools, public rail, pedestrian and bike paths, airports, 
energy efficiency, storage, and transmission to make our country 
stronger and reduce costs.
  Now is the time to act on an infrastructure package that has true 
investment. It can't just be toll roads or a giveaway to Wall Street. A 
fully paid-for infrastructure package will be a boon for the country, 
for our cities, for our towns, for our rural areas, and for the middle 
class.
  Infrastructure is a today problem that we can come together and 
solve. We need to act now and make infrastructure a priority.

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