Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following statement on cloture being reached on a bipartisan infrastructure bill. The vote begins 30 hours of debate on the bill before a vote on final passage.
“We’ve been working on this important bipartisan bill for weeks, and I’m glad we’re finally moving towards a vote, because we have to get this done. The people of Washington state simply can’t wait any longer for essential investments in our roads and bridges, public transit, clean drinking water, our energy grid, and other critical physical infrastructure needs.
“This bill includes so many important provisions that will benefit Washington state families. We’re going to see the single largest investment in bridge repair since we built the interstate highway system, and the largest investment in public transit and clean energy transmission in history. In the coming days, I’ll be focused on putting Washington state priorities front and center as we get this bill over the finish line.
“I want to be clear that this bill is just step one. Once we get this done, we will move on to a reconciliation package to even the playing field for working families and help our country build back stronger and fairer. For every parent who is spending more on child care than on their rent or mortgage—we are going to finally make high quality child care affordable and create universal pre-k. For everyone who has had to choose between getting a paycheck and caring for a newborn or a seriously ill family member—we are going to pass the first ever comprehensive national paid leave program. For everyone already feeling the worsening effects of climate change—we are going to make a landmark investment in climate action.
“From affordable housing, to investing in home care for people with disabilities and older Americans, to making community college free, to building our public health infrastructure—there is so much more work that needs to be done, so this bipartisan infrastructure package is only the beginning.”
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