Americans Need True Infrastructure Investment
Oklahoma is the crossroads of America, and as such, relies heavily on a strong, modern infrastructure. Over the last several decades, our nation’s infrastructure has fallen dangerously behind that of its closest economic competitors, including China. Congress now has a tremendous opportunity to make the nation more competitive in the 21st century by investing in its infrastructure, not just roads and bridges, but the electrical grid, broadband access, and more.
However, President Biden and the Democrat majority continue to propose spending plans with few dollars targeted to the nation’s most pressing economic needs. The president began his term by proposing his $2 trillion American Jobs Plan. Of those dollars, just 6% ($115B) goes to road, bridge, and highway improvement, while more funding is invested ($174B) in expansion of electric vehicles. On top of that, less than 2% of the proposed funding addresses much-needed upgrades and repairs to America’s waterways, dams, ports, and airports. Instead, Democrats are claiming that everything from childcare to Medicaid is “infrastructure,” with non-infrastructure items making up the bulk the bill. While childcare assistance, Medicaid and similar programs are incredibly important, a bill targeting America’s infrastructure is not the appropriate medium to address these issues.
As the nation continues to emerge from the pandemic, Congress should be focused on doing all it can to grow our economy. Without strong infrastructure, commerce becomes inefficient and Oklahomans who rely on roads and bridges for business or employment, will suffer. The American Jobs Plan would burden Oklahoma businesses with $2.7 trillion in tax increases over the next 15 years, resulting in fewer jobs and lower wages. The people of Oklahoma are my top priority, and I will do whatever I can to ensure their businesses and jobs are protected.
To that end, House Republicans have introduced an alternative infrastructure plan that focuses on funding necessary transportation projects that improve roads and transit, water infrastructure, and broadband, with a total investment of $460 billion. This legislation focuses on core infrastructure, addresses the needs of the American people, and gets resources to where they’re most needed.
President Biden is right that new investment in infrastructure and maintenance would stimulate the economy. Modernizing infrastructure creates jobs now and builds a foundation for economic growth for generations to come. Infrastructure investment should not be partisan; it is an investment for the future of America. I remain committed to working to reach common ground and create bipartisan solutions to invest in our country’s railroads, waterways, highways, airports, bridges, and broadband.