150 Organizations Demand Action on Infrastructure Funding from Congress

The Infrastructure Working Group sent a letter to U.S. Senate’s leadership calling for passage of a “robustly funded” surface transportation reauthorization bill well ahead of the September 30, 2020 deadline

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Jessica Lombardo

The Infrastructure Working Group (IWG) has sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) urging bipartisan action to address our nation’s long-standing infrastructure deficit.

“As this challenge persists and worsens,” the group wrote, “we encourage you to move a long-term, robustly funded surface transportation reauthorization ahead of the September 30, 2020 deadline. Substantial and long-term investments in all kinds of infrastructure are needed to expand our economy, grow jobs and compete globally. Passing a robust, long-term, on-time surface transportation bill is necessary to meet current infrastructure needs and begin to mitigate our nation’s infrastructure deficit.”

The group stated that funding is imperative to avoid costly delays that slow construction schedules and make important projects more costly and more difficult to complete.

The group has long called for a federal infrastructure package that accomplishes these six key principles:

  1. Significantly increase direct federal investments in infrastructure;
  2. Fix chronic challenges and address reoccurring shortages in key federal infrastructure accounts such as the Highway Trust Fund;
  3. Complement and strengthen existing tools, such as municipal bonds, that successfully deliver infrastructure investments at the federal, state and local levels;
  4. Facilitate opportunities for private investment in U.S. infrastructure;
  5. Create efficiencies such as accelerating the federal permitting process, while continuing to provide environmental protections, and;
  6. Encourage active participation among all levels of government and between public and private sectors without shifting federal responsibilities because no single partner can deliver a well-functioning, national U.S. infrastructure network driven by a long-term vision and funding stability.

Led by the National Association of Manufacturers and the Associated General Contractors, the IWG is comprised over over 150 organizations. The group exists to unite a diverse range of trade associations and build support for infrastructure investments. The IWG works to unite the common interest of support for infrastructure investment among a diverse range of industry organizations.

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