Tell Congress to Pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework Today
For too many years to count, infrastructure has been the “all talk, no action” issue.
Presidents and Congresses have come and gone, and all have decried our crumbling roads, bridges, highways, airports, water systems, and the other pillars of our infrastructure that support the economy, the American people’s quality of life, and public safety. By now, for example, it’s well-known that more than 45,000 bridges across the U.S. are in “poor” condition, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers, and that our 2.2 million miles of underground pipes are aging, leading to frequent water main breaks and wasting billions of gallons of water.
But year after year after year, promise after promise after promise, nothing has happened.
Until now.
Thanks to the hard work of the Biden Administration and members of Congress from both parties, we now have a bipartisan framework to make an historic $1.2 trillion investment in our transportation, water, energy and communications infrastructure.
This groundbreaking effort would connect Americans safely and efficiently, saving the time and money wasted by traffic jams, backlogs and the other inefficiencies caused by our outdated infrastructure. And it will create millions of good-paying jobs in our crafts and throughout the construction and other industries.
This is one issue in which the business community and labor stand on the same side. America’s infrastructure set the standard for the rest of the world for more than a half century. Once signed into law, this agreement can bring the USA back to being number one again!
That’s why the OPCMIA urges Congress to turn the bipartisan framework into a bill that will pass the House and Senate and be signed into law by President Biden ASAP.
The urgency of action cannot be overstated. A recent Business Roundtable study estimated that each dollar invested in our infrastructure would yield nearly $4 in U.S. economic growth over 20 years. That amounts to a whopping $8.2 trillion. The same study found that with an investment of this size, the average household’s disposable income would increase by $1,800 every year for 20 years.
The bipartisan infrastructure framework finally gives us genuine hope for investments that will accelerate the economic recovery, generate sustained growth and secure middle-class, family-sustaining jobs for hardworking Americans. We cannot let this opportunity go unrealized.
I urge all OPCMIA members to contact your U.S. Senators and Representatives today. Tell them to cancel the House’s and Senate’s planned August recess and stay in session until they pass robust infrastructure legislation and send it to the President’s desk for his signature. This issue is too important and has been delayed far too long. Now is the time to upgrade our infrastructure and lay the foundation for prosperity for generations to come. At long last, let’s get it done!
Daniel E. Stepano
General President
