Press Releases

(As prepared for delivery)

Thank you, M/ Speaker.

America’s infrastructure is in woeful disrepair. Our roads and bridges are crumbling; many areas still lack reliable internet service; and there are even places in the United States where the tap water is unsafe to drink.

Major investments in these essential arteries are long overdue. Now is the perfect time to make those critical improvements.  

With more than 47 million Americans out of work, the COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating economic consequences for our nation. Democrats’ Moving Forward Act will create jobs and reinvigorate our economy while also modernizing our country’s infrastructure.

All corners of the nation will benefit from this package, including my home, western Massachusetts. Bold investments in broadband and the rail system are particularly good news for our region’s economy, workers, and students.

The Moving Forward Act’s investments aren’t just big, they’re smart and responsible too. The Ways and Means Committee contributed the largest tax investment in combatting climate change that Congress has ever made.

The legislation promotes investment in clean energy technologies; incentivizes the “greening of the fleet;” and rewards renewable energy projects engaging in responsible labor practices that prioritize workers’ rights and wellbeing.

I’ll keep working to ensure that green jobs are good jobs – not only in the space of renewable energy production, but in the production of zero-emission vehicles as well. And prioritizing green jobs should also mean prioritizing the American manufacturers whose raw materials will power the green economy.

Our nation has a unique opportunity to make strategic investments in our communities, in our businesses, and in our workers, and to come out on the other side of this crisis stronger than ever. I urge my colleagues to join me in seizing this moment while we have the chance.

I yield back the balance of my time.