May 23, 2024 Press Release Wanted to be sure you saw this op-ed by Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05), published by The Washington Times, that highlights the transformational infrastructure advancements Marylanders and Americans across the country are seeing as a result of Democrats' Investing in America agenda. To read the op-ed, click here or see below: THE WASHINGTON TIMES Putting America on the Road to Success By Congressman Steny H. Hoyer May 22, 2024 In advocating for his Interstate Highway System in 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower told Congress that “the uniting forces of our communication and transportation systems are dynamic elements in the very name we bear – United States. Without them, we would be a mere alliance of many separate parts.” He recognized that the prosperity of the American economy and the American people is built upon American infrastructure. Much has changed in the past 69 years. Over 200 million more cars travel our streets today. Many drivers now charge a battery rather than fill a tank. Most Americans rely on high-speed internet to communicate with their families, friends, and coworkers. The connection between the strength of our infrastructure and the strength of our economy, however, remains the same. As House majority leader last Congress, I was proud to bring the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to the floor and help lead Democrats in passing it. The law represents the largest investment in our nation’s infrastructure since Eisenhower’s Interstate Highway System. Whether by repairing our roads and bridges, upgrading our airports and harbors, replacing dangerous lead pipes, or expanding high-speed internet broadband in rural communities, the BIL will be a cornerstone in the foundation of America’s economic success in the twenty-first century. Our work did not end when President Joe Biden signed that historic legislation into law in 2021. The implementation of the BIL continues every day as we break ground on new projects across America. House Democrats’ new Regional Leadership Council (RLC), which I am proud to chair, is at the forefront of that effort. With twelve members representing each of America’s twelve regions, the RLC is coordinating with the Biden-Harris Administration and local stakeholders to ensure that these investments reach communities in every corner of the country. We have made tremendous progress in that mission just two-and-a-half years into the “Infrastructure Decade” that this law launched. We have already announced funding for over 56,000 projects in more than 4,500 communities across the country – from the new Frederick Douglass Tunnel here in Maryland to the expansion of the Port of Nome in Alaska. Repairs are underway on over 165,000 miles of roads and 9,400 bridges. More than 300 airports have received Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grants to expand terminals. The Biden-Harris Administration has also announced funding to replace 1.7 million toxic lead service lines, which carry drinking water from municipal water mains to homes, schools, businesses, and other properties throughout America. These are just a few of the ways this law is improving American lives. You know a policy is successful when even its fiercest detractors try to take credit for its results. From new bridges to waterway improvements, state-of-the-art electric busses to highway repairs, many of my colleagues across the aisle tout local projects funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that they voted against. Many Republicans who opposed the BIL celebrated how it expanded rural high-speed broadband access. That includes the Affordable Connectivity Program, which helped connect 23 million households to affordable high-speed internet. By refusing to work with Democrats to extend funding for the ACP after it expired a few weeks ago, however, these same Republicans have caused millions of Americans to either lose their internet access or see their broadband costs go up. I understand why my Republican colleagues want to claim credit for these projects – as futile as that effort may be. Republicans have realized that Americans are pleased with how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the rest of Democrats’ Investing in America agenda help workers, families, and communities get ahead. Better roads, bridges, tunnels, and public transportation will lead to shorter, safer, and cheaper commutes for families. Critical investments in infrastructure resilience will help combat the climate crisis and protect our communities against stronger wildfires, storms, and floods. Improvements to railways and ports will strengthen our supply chains against disruptions like the war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic, which have driven recent inflation. The BIL will give our businesses, manufacturers, and farmers the competitive advantage they need to thrive in the 21st-century global economy. This law is also building new roads to the middle class by kickstarting a historic wave of construction that will generate hundreds of thousands of well-paying jobs. Initiatives like the Thriving Communities Program will ensure these investments reach disadvantaged and under-resourced communities nationwide. And, as Eisenhower observed, revitalizing our infrastructure will ensure that America remains interconnected – a nation united not only by asphalt, steel, and telecom cables, but by the promise of opportunity for all. *Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., has faithfully represented Maryland’s 5th District for forty-three years. He has also served in House Democratic leadership as caucus vice chair, caucus chair, minority whip, and majority leader. In the 117th Congress alone, as House majority leader, he brought the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act to the House Floor and helped ensure their enactment. Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appointed Congressman Hoyer to serve as Chair of the Regional Leadership Council in January 2023 to help lead House Democrats’ effort to implement the historic Investing in America agenda.