Chairman Jeffries, Speaker Pelosi on building a better America
House Democratic Caucus Chairman and U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries was joined by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, other congress members, and the local labor groups for a conference on investing in the nation’s infrastructure on Monday, March 14 at Brooklyn Bridge Park.
“For decades in Washington, D.C. it seemed like there was infrastructure week every other week,” said Jeffries from the waterfront. “Nothing ever got done.”
House Democrats worked alongside President Joe Biden in passing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021, said Jeffries’ office. The bill provides $550 billion in new spending to fix crumbling bridges, roads, tunnels, airports and mass transit systems.
“With the effects of the pandemic on the construction industry, it is now more important than ever before to invest in our infrastructure improvements in our country and provide good paying union jobs,” said New York City District Council of Carpenters Representative Gerry Mathews.
Over the next five years, New York will receive $11.6 billion for highways, $1.9 billion for bridge replacement, $9.8 billion for public transit across the state, and $685 million for airport upgrades, said Jeffries’ office.