Yesterday, the House leadership in Congress announced a new “Moving Forward” framework for a $760 billion infrastructure bill. The plan, over the next five years, would rebuild the nation’s roads, bridges, transit systems, railways, airports, ports, inland waterways, wastewater and drinking water systems, brownfields, and broadband. The National League of Cities has been calling on Congress to “Rebuild With Us” and step up on infrastructure, and this framework reflects our shared priorities for rebuilding and creating a skilled workforce that will get projects moving in America’s cities, towns and villages.
Led by the Chairmen of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR), Energy and Commerce Committee Rep. Frank Pallone (NJ), and Ways and Means Committee Rep. Richard Neal (MA), the Moving Forward Framework is a joint effort to bring together the key pieces of infrastructure investment to “address some of the country’s most urgent infrastructure needs, from addressing the massive maintenance backlog, to designing safer streets, to putting the U.S. on a path toward zero emissions from the transportation sector and increasing resiliency.”
Local leaders across the country are glad to see this first step and will continue to call on Congress to turn this framework into reality.
“The National League of Cities has called on Congress to step up their infrastructure efforts and rebuild together with local leaders. Yesterday’s announcement of an infrastructure framework by the House infrastructure committees is great news for residents and communities across America,” said NLC President Joe Buscaino, Councilmember, Los Angeles, California. “Cities, towns and villages are ready to partner with Congress to bring a bold vision for transportation networks, water needs, and to invest in the skilled workforce needed to rebuild and reimagine the infrastructure in our communities. We must invest in our country and our people by building up the places that we call ‘home,’ and we applaud Chairmen DeFazio, Neal and Pallone for leading with urgency.”
Cities, towns and villages look forward to working with both Democrats and Republicans to get an infrastructure deal done and on the President’s desk. Finding a path towards a rebuilding and reimagining our nation’s infrastructure is an attainable goal, but it takes lots of voices from across the country standing together to move our efforts forward.
Text of the Moving Forward Framework is here.
A Factsheet is here.
About the Author: Brittney Kohler is the program director for transportation and infrastructure at the National League of Cities.