Infrastructure

For too long, years of partisan gridlock have prevented Congress from reinvesting and improving our nation’s infrastructure, leaving our region’s highways, roads and bridges, transit and railways, ports and airports, and water and sewer systems in disrepair. As a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus Infrastructure Working Group, I helped work toward bipartisan consensus on repairing our nation’s infrastructure.

Intensive negotiations between Republicans and Democrats in the House and the Senate resulted in H.R.3684 - The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework (BIF), which passed both Chambers with bipartisan support and was signed into law in November 2021. I was proud to support this bill which will bring over $170 billion to New York State for crucial repairs to our roads, bridges, sewer systems, and railways. This bill contains no new taxes, is responsibly paid for, and consists of 100% real infrastructure, including:

• $13.5 billion for New York highways and bridges currently rated in poor condition
• $9.8 billion for LIRR and other public transportation essential to Long Island commuters
• $685 million for New York Airports including MacArthur, Republic, JFK, and LaGuardia
• $90 billion for New York water and wastewater infrastructure to build and improve sewer and cesspool systems

New York State highways are rated among the worst in the country and 10% of New York’s bridges are structurally deficient. Both of these things cost Long Islanders time and money and threaten public safety. Investment to fix New York’s roads and transit systems will add an additional $6.72 billion to the State’s Gross Domestic Project (GDP) each year, and increased economic activity will benefit New York residents.  Disposable Income is projected to increase by $2.76 billion each year, an average of $357 per household. As a pro-jobs and pro-growth elected official, investing in our region’s infrastructure is the best way to stimulate Long Island’s economy, create jobs, and improve the safety and livelihoods of all Long Islanders.

Here’s how I’m working towards fixing our nation’s infrastructure:

• H.R. 396 – The Transit Security Grant Program Flexibility Act
• H.R.2599 - Legislation providing a duplication of benefits fix for Sandy CDBG-DR recipients
• H.R. 4069 – Septic Upgrade Grant Act
• H.R. 2711 — To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide an exclusion from gross income for certain wastewater management subsidies
• H.R.695 - USPS Fairness Act
• H.Res.119- Expressing that the USPS should take all appropriate measures to restore service standards in effect as of 7/1/2012
• H.Res.114- Expressing the USPS should take all measures to continue its 6-day mail delivery service
• H.Res.109 - Expressing the USPS Should continue door delivery
• H.Res.108 - Expressing that USPS workers are frontline essential workers and must be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccines