Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

Floor Speech

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Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law which was signed into law by President Joseph Biden on this historic day last year.

The bipartisan infrastructure law is undeniably the largest long-term investment in U.S. infrastructure in almost 100 years, in almost a century. As we all know, our great economy relies on an immense infrastructure of roads and bridges, freight rails and ports, electrical grids, access to high-speed internet, and on and on.

Yet, many of the current systems in place were built decades ago and needed to be enhanced to guarantee our Nation's optimal economic performance.

That is why, when passing the bipartisan infrastructure law, we knew, as President Biden said, ``We could grow the economy, enhance our competitiveness, create good jobs, and make our economy more sustainable, just, and resilient.''

Mr. Speaker, I believe we have done that. As I explained to many of my colleagues last year, the Infrastructure of my home in the U.S. Virgin Islands has suffered extremely from systematic lack of investment. Our infrastructure issues were further exacerbated by the 2017 Hurricanes Irma and Maria, which were both Category 5 hurricanes.

When you hear that 1 in 5 miles, or 173,000 total miles, of our highways and major roads, and 45,000 bridges across the United States are in poor condition, think about what that looks like on a hurricane- prone island where residents may rely on a single road for passage of crucial resources and emergency services vehicles.

As Americans, the residents of the Virgin Islands needed us, as Congress, to step up. By passing the bipartisan infrastructure plan, we answered the call for all Americans.

To date, the Virgin Islands has been allocated $18.4 million, of an expected $96 million, to rebuild and strengthen our roads and bridges. In addition, over 1,600 households in the U.S. Virgin Islands have already enrolled in the Affordable Connectivity Program, which aims to provide affordable, high-speed internet to every American. That is about 43 percent of the total households on the island of St. John alone who now have access to high-speed internet.

Turning to the island's power supply, we now have much-needed capital to weatherize our power lines, which will prevent outages and make the power grid more resilient. Put differently, we are now better equipped to save lives.

In addition to these historic investments, I would like to highlight the announcement of two key projects:

First, under our Watershed Project, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will invest $51.7 million to reduce flood risk and damage to the Savan Gut area in our capital, Charlotte Amalie. The area is within the 100- year old flood plain and has recurring flooding problems primarily in the central business district and local elementary school. Therefore, as I am sure you can tell, the completion of this project is vital to protecting the future of our children, schools, and local businesses.

Second, in our Airport Project, the Department of Transportation has awarded nearly $4 million to Cyril E. King Airport to support its modernization and improve safety.

There are so many projects that all Americans are guaranteed because of the work of these House Democrats, along with our President, who have put the people of America forward in ensuring that infrastructure will meet the needs of a future America.

So, today, as we celebrate the many successes of the infrastructure plan, creating good-paying jobs, union jobs, helping fight climate change, advancing environmental justice, boosting domestic manufacturing, strengthening critical links in our supply chains, and ultimately lowering the cost of living for working families, I would like to challenge and encourage all of us to continue to work together to address the challenges of the American people, this country, and our world. Together, we can make a difference.

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