Letter to the Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader, Charles Schumer, Senate Majority Leader, and Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader - Katko Leads Bipartisan Effort Calling for Consensus-Driven Infrastructure Package

Letter

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Leader McCarthy, Leader Schumer, and Leader McConnell,

With the 117th Congress underway, we write to express our shared commitment to finding bipartisan solutions to the many challenges facing our nation. In addition to addressing the sustained threat of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and working together to strengthen our national security, we believe that Congress must prioritize comprehensive infrastructure legislation in the months ahead. As we approach the expiration of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act later this year, it is critical that lawmakers put partisanship aside and come together on a long-term infrastructure package that will benefit American communities nationwide.

Simply put, our constituents are counting on us to deliver substantive investments to our highways, roads and bridges, transit systems and railways, ports and airports, water and sewer systems, energy systems and power grid, and broadband and communications networks.

Absent substantive federal action, disrepair and congestion will continue to replace safety and innovation as the defining characteristics of American infrastructure. The costs of inaction will continue to be borne by American families and businesses, with the American Society of Civil Engineers estimating in 2019 that inaction on surface infrastructure investment would cost the average American family $1,060 per year in disposable income and suppress GDP growth by $897 billion. Additionally, these conditions will only be worsened by the sustained budgetary damage that COVID-19 has inflicted on state and local governments, which fund approximately 75% of our nation's transportation infrastructure projects.

Effectively responding to these dire conditions will require compromise, as well as a commitment to long-term solutions. Substantive bipartisan discussions are essential to providing flexible and dependable federal funding for infrastructure projects across the country, an effort that includes addressing the long-term solvency and stability of the Highway Trust Fund. Additionally, we must take action on issues that are already the subject of significant bipartisan agreement, such as the need to prioritize project completion in our communities and increase the resiliency of our nation's infrastructure. Bipartisan negotiations are essential to finding the path forward on these issues and ensuring that Congress addresses the diverse infrastructure needs of our communities.

With these goals in mind, we write to express our shared commitment to prioritizing bipartisan infrastructure reform in the months ahead. Our hope is that Congress and the Biden administration can work together to bring a comprehensive infrastructure package to the floor later this year. In working together on these critical issues, we have a significant opportunity to improve the lives of millions of Americans, ensure the ability of our businesses to compete on the global stage, and strengthen the foundation of our economy for years to come.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. Although our nation currently faces some of the most significant challenges in modern history, we look forward to working together and delivering real solutions for the American people.